Inspiring, action-packed WWII spy biography!
How did a young woman, born at a time when a woman’s place was in the home, become one of the bravest, most valued—and MOST WANTED—intelligence agents in World War II? How, despite having a wooden leg, did she turn the course of history?
Virginia Hall had a dream to become the first woman ambassador for the United States. Turned down by the US State Department time and again, Virginia could not stand idly by while the German army swept through Europe conquering country after country. Despite a life-threatening hunting accident, which took her left leg, she volunteered to drive an ambulance in WWII France. She rescued downed airmen, radioed vital information to the Allies, and led three battalions of French Resistance forces in guerrilla warfare. Known as la dame qui boite or the Limping Lady, she rose to the top of the Gestapo’s Most Wanted list.
The Limping Lady helped change the course of history as the spy with the wooden leg.
Age 10+
Major themes:
- perseverance; overcoming adversity
- fulfilling life dreams
- WWII history
- espionage and guerrilla warfare
- inspiring women
- unconventional heroes
- living with a handicap; prosthetic limbs
Nancy Polette
Nancy has written more than 170 books! She spent five years researching the life of Virginia Hall for her middle grade biography The Spy with the Wooden Leg: The Story of Virginia Hall and worked alongside the president of the Jefferson Barracks POW-MIA Museum president to create N Is For Never Forget: POW-MIA A to Z.
IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards – Silver
Midwest Book Awards – First Place
Mom’s Choice Awards® Gold Recipient
Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards – Silver Medal
“When one is undervalued due to their gender, the drive to prove them wrong comes strongly. The Spy with the Wooden Leg is a biography of Virginia Hall, a woman who jumped at the chance to serve the Allies in World War II, overcoming gender discrimination and a wooden foot in the process. Earning ire from the Gestapo, she significantly helped the Free French Resistance throughout the conflict. The Spy with the Wooden Leg is a strongly recommended addition to history and biography collections, not to be overlooked.”
—Midwest Book Review