Agent Most Wanted: The Never-Before-Told Story of the Most Dangerous Spy of World War II

by Sonia Purnell

A young readers adaptation of Sonia Purnell's New York Times bestselling book A Woman of No Importance, the story of Virginia Hall; the unassuming American spy who helped the allies win World War II.

Virginia Hall was deemed "the most dangerous of all allied spies" by the Gestapo. Armed with her wits and her prosthetic leg, she was deployed behind enemy lines to inspire resistance in France, providing crucial support to fighting the Nazi occupation. In this largely untold story, Sonia Purnell uncovers the truth behind a Baltimore socialite who was essential to allied victory.

Adapted for the elementary to middle school audience, Agent Most Wanted is equal parts an inspiring tale of feminism in a time when women weren't taken seriously, an epic spy story, and, of course, a retelling of winning one of the largest global conflicts in modern history.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Biography, Middle Grade, Historical, War, Audiobook

208 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 9, 2022

About the author

Sonia Purnell is a biographer and journalist who has worked at The Economist, The Telegraph, and The Sunday Times. Her book Clementine: The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill (published as First Lady in the UK) was chosen as a book of the year by The Telegraph and The Independent, and was a finalist for the Plutarch Award. Her first book, Just Boris, was longlisted for the Orwell prize.

Reviews

[Teresa Carter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I ordered this for my MS school library, but I struggled to get through it. Virginia is very interesting, but there is nothing in the telling of this story that grabs your attention and keeps you wanting to turn the page.

It’s not a book that I’ll recommend to more than a couple of students.

[Alex Baugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Virginia Hall may have been born into a family that believed they were obligated "to restore the family to the heights of Baltimore society" but she had no intention of obliging her mother's wish of marrying into money. Virginia was too free spirited to settle down into a society marriage. She loved excitement and living in NY while attending to Barnard College provided her with plenty of that. Virginia was also able to go to Paris when she was 20, enjoying the art, literature, and meeting all kinds of interesting people, and travelling around Europe for several years.
When Virginia returned home in 1929, she immediately applied for at job at the State Department, hoping for a diplomat position. Despite stellar qualifications, the State Department rejected her application, but she did get a not-terribly-interesting post, first in Warsaw, Poland and later in Smyrna, Turkey, both at the U.S. Embassies. While in Turkey, she had a shooting accident and lost her left leg below the knee as a result.

Undeterred, and despite an uncomfortable prosthetic leg, Virginia was determined to return to Europe, and got another posting with the US Consulate in Venice, Italy. But with fascism on the rise in Europe, in 1936, Virginia again applied for a position as a diplomat. This time, with the help of President Roosevelt, she finally found herself as part of the US legation in Tallinn, Estonia in 1938. But after a year of secretarial work, Virginia resigned. When Hitler invaded Poland in 1939, she planned on going to London, but instead ended up in Paris, where she signed up as an ambulance driver with the French Ninth Artillery Regiment.

A chance meeting with someone who was impressed with her courage and who had connections, led Virginia to Nicolas Bodington, senior office in the French section of Britain' s newly formed Special Operations Executive. After some hesitation, Virginia was off to learn the basics she would need to become an effective intelligence agent for the British in France. When she arrived in southern France, she registered at an American correspondent with the Vichy government.

Despite the pain caused by her artificial leg, the danger of being a spy, and being isolated in a hostile environment, Virginia Hall managed to accomplish amazing things for the duration of the war. Once she arrived in Vichy, France, Purnell meticulously documents Virginia's resistance work, both her successes and her failures, answering the question: How did Virginia Hall became the agent most wanted and why the German Gestapo considered her to be the most dangerous woman in Europe during WWII?

Though nonfiction, the history of Virginia Hall's life during WWII reads like a thrilling novel, full of dangerous adventures and frustrations befitting the life of a spy. Virginia's is a story that has been relatively untold up to now. Purnell, in this biographical work, shows how Virginia was continuously belittled, often rejected, and discriminated against because of her disability, yet she never gave up pursuing her dreams, and how, despite everything, she may have been one of the best spies in WWII.

This is a book that will appeal to young readers who are history and WWII buffs. Back matter includes Chapter Notes and a select Bibliography. Agent Most Wanted is a young readers adaptation of Purnell's original book A Woman of No Importance

[Kathleen Brunnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! An amazing true story of a female spy during WWII AND she was from Maryland. This is a you g reader adaptation of the original NYT best seller. Highly recommend.

[Fritz Bolme · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was great! However It lacked the thrill and excitement I thought it would have. Not my favorite, but I highly recommend for ages 11-whenever you stop reading!

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Virginia Hall, an amputee, becomes an important spy for the Allies during WWII. She overcomes discrimination because of her gender and her amputation to become one of the most important people in the French resistance to the Nazi invasion.

This is a Young Readers adaptation of A Woman of No Importance. It highlighted key events in Virginia's efforts to help aid the British Special Operations forces in France during WWII. She was often overlooked due to her gender but when given the opportunity to do more than just desk work, her tenacity and instinct set her apart. After having read this one, I definitely want to follow up sometime with the full version.

[pheebster · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 star

Someone hand me an award for finishing this. I swear there has never been a better achievement that merits an award.

Virginia is a very interesting and intelligent women. However I had a REALLY hard time reading this book. I'll say it plainly, this book is by far the most boring book I've ever finished. I had to skim and turn the font up to keep focus. Normally I wound have DNFed by this point, but I need to finish for BOB. With two days remaining and 50 percent left, I finished the second half in a gulp. I'm still alive guys...I think.

The events were very confusing, there were too many missions and all of them were described similarly. The code names made it a tid bit confusing as well. I also had to write a summary, which didn't help at all. I didn't really see a lot of major events.

Despite my complaints, if you are interested in World Wars, history, etc. This book might be for you (but you're not getting the award)!

[Traci · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an amazing person! I've grabbed the adult version of this, hoping to learn more about Ms. Hall.

[•✿ Mår¥ Låmß ✿• · Rating 3 out of 5]

My mind did wander but there were exciting bits

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 4 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
The world was different for a woman born in 1902. Virginia Hall was expected to marry well and restore her family's fortunes, but for an intelligent and curious girl, this didn't seem like a great idea. There were options available for her that were not available for my grandmother, born in 1893 in a very rural area. Hall was able to attend Radcliffe college, but got bored and switched to Barnard College in New York. She loved all of the excitement there, and because of her family background and wealth, was able to go to Paris to study. She learned a lot of languages, as well as European culture, geography, and politic. She was able to continue her studies at George Washington University, and wanted to join the State Department as a diplomat. Even though she had such fantastic credentials, at the time only six of the 1,500 foreign service posts were filled by women. She decided she would get in through the back door, and got hired in a secretarial role. She served in Poland and then in Turkey, where she loved to hike and hunt. Unfortunately, during one of these expeditions, her gun went off and she shot herself in the foot. With medicine being what it was, she ended up losing her leg below the knee.

Undeterred (which I think is the word that best defines Hall!), she applied for a job as a diplomat in 1936, fearing that things were tense in Europe and that she would be able to help. Even pleas on her behalf to President Roosevelt, who himself overcame mobility issues, went unheard. By 1940, she signed up with the French artillery, and drove an ambulance. When she was due to head back to London, she met British agent George Bellows who was very impressed with her qualifications, and thought she would make a great spy. He gave her the number of someone to contact, but she waited quite a while to do so. Eventually, she was hired and sent on a mission to Lyon.

What Hall accomplished as an agent is phenomenal, and reading about all of her escapades will be an absolutel treat for my World War II fans who are used to the details of battle. Hall's work was more nuanced and suspenseful, and reading about her one on one interactions and personal encounters with dangerous situations is much more pulse pounding to me than battlefield descriptions-- if you are in the field with a gun and bombs dropping on you, it seems to me that you go into that with a certain fatal outlook. Hall's success was completely dependent on her skills in reading a situation, her background knowledge, and her expertise. The worst moment was when she misread Father Robert Alesch, who turned out to be a German spy, and had to escape over the Pyrenees on foot!

Most impressively, Hall continued to work right up until the CIA forced her to retire at age 60. She set up safe houses in Spain, she got an award but had to be given it privately because she was still an active operative, and was one of the first women officers in the CIA. At almost every turn, she was passed over or given poor reviews just because she was a woman, yet it didn't stop her. She had more combat experience than five former directors! To me, her perseverance in continuing to work despite the roadblocks that were deliberately put in her way is the most impressive part of her career. She was eventually recognized as being "an undisputed heroine of World War II" but the CIA, which admitted that they did not use her talents well.

I had previously read The Lady Is a Spy: Virginia Hall, World War II Hero of the French Resistance by Don Mitchell, and found that book, while informative, to be somewhat less engaging for pleasure reading. Agent Most Wanted, on the other hand, was a brisk page turner that kept me making notes on all of the incredible work that Hall did. Purnell also makes it abundantly clear the obstacles that Hall faced because of her gender and her mobility challenges.

My only quibble with the book, which I am definitely purchasing and which will circulate very well, is that Hall's picture should have been on the cover of the book instead of the generic YA looking silhouette with flowing hair. The cover strikes me as a continuing roadblock to female accomplishment-- it only counts if we are romantically pretty WHILE we are changing the world!

[Valerie McEnroe · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an interesting book about an American woman who became the most successful spy in the British SEO, helping the French resistance during WWII. She did this at a time when women were placed routinely in secretarial jobs despite proven accomplishments equal to, or exceeding, those of men. Even more exceptional to her story is that having had her leg amputated after an unfortunate accident, she carried out her dangerous missions with a prosthetic leg. She was able to remain under the radar for over a year, longer than any other informant. One of her many successes included orchestrating an escape for her colleagues who were caught and imprisoned in a work camp.

The problem with the book is that despite the compelling story, it's textbook dry. It's a retelling of a vast collection of facts in the most detached way. I simply could not engage. I've become accustomed to authors like Sheinkin, Hopkinson and Swanson who craft a story from said facts. They set it up in such a way that it baits you. They play on your emotions. You begin to have a strong sense of the tension. You get more into the head of the key players so you know not only what happened, but why it happened. All of this story crafting leads to a final product the reader can't put down.

That did not happen here. It was a slog for me and I can't imagine a young person having more success.

[Drew Grissom · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 rounded up informative but BORING

[Agd]

11.20.25. 7+. Clean. Rough read. Inspiring central figure, but narrative poorly handled. Reads as just list of events with endless cast of characters never get to know.

Born into a rich Baltimore family in 1906, Virginia Hall was anything but some high-society debutant. With the encouragement of her father, she learned to shoot, hunt, and ride. Not surprisingly, she refused to settle down and marry, choosing instead to flee to France to escape marrying her fiancee. Hall returned, went to college, and sought to work as a diplomat. But sexist practices relegated her to secretarial jobs working in European offices as Hitler rose to power. Disgusted, she chose to take action in France, first as an ambulance driver and then as the only American in the British Special Operations Executive (BSOE). In southern France, Hall gathered and relayed information about the occupying Nazis while outfitting, organizing, and training French citizens to become resistance fighters.

Amount she has to overcome, from prosthetic leg (result of shooting self in hunting accident) to constant undermining (never getting real rank) to relegation at end of career to pointless desk job in VA. Lengths goes to for cause (filing down teeth, learning 6 languages, explosives hidden in horse manure, escaping snowy mountain pass to escape France to Spain). German wanted poster claiming she is MOST DANGEROUS WOMAN.

[Rebekah Francis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very interesting, but such a slog to read. The author chose to write about about an incredibly interesting person and her story. However, the writing/format didn't entice me and keep me interested in the story. The only thing that kept me reading was the the story the author was telling. The story was so complex that it was probably easier for the author to use the format she did, but it felt like she was jumping around going to different people and their stories and how that related to the main storyline and Virginia. I understand that the author was trying to get all the facts and details in there but I think it could have been arranged in a way to make it less confusing. I checked it out from the library and had to keep checking it back out because I couldn't finish it. I really wanted to finish it and I'm glad I did. It is a VERY complex story and the author did a good job including all the details. I would probably recommend this book to people who like nonfiction and don't mind reading about all the little stuff/details (which I usually love, but that just brings me back to the way the story was arranged) in a story.

[Keshia Swaim · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Virginia Hall is a fascinating woman, and I loved reading about her story. The author didn't shy away from discussing the physical struggles and maddening sexism that Ms. Hall faced throughout her life. It was as well researched as it could have been, given that Virginia Hall was loathe to talk or write about her own experiences.

The downside of this book is in the marketing to MG readers. With the involvement of multiple government agencies, spies with multiple code names, and factions within movements, it was extremely difficult to keep a clear picture of what was happening. The same readers drawn to the relatively short size of this biography will likely end up frustrated with the number of unfamiliar players and events thrown at them so quickly. I am personally glad I learned about this heroine, and would recommend this for a MS or HS student who already had a decent grasp on WWII history, but it is not an easy introductory biography.

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Virginia Hall, born and raised in Baltimore MD, was the Nazi's most wanted spy during WWII. Despite the fact that she had a prosthetic let, Virginia infiltrated France and worked with the Resistance for the SOE. After America entered the war she again went back to France under the OSS. The Germans had a bounty on her head. With a motto of "shoot, burn, destroy", Virginia ravaged the Nazi's in whatever she and her Resistance trainee's could muster along with messaging back to London.

Previously I have read a historical fiction novel based on Virginia Hall. this, by Purnell, is YA non fiction and proved to be more fact driven yet remained interesting. The fiction was quite close in factual information.

Virginia led a very exciting and dangerous life as a spy. This was a well written YA that would appeal to middle grade and adults as well.

[KATHRYNE STEVENS · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was incredibly interesting, and I learned a lot. However, it is not really written in a narrative structure and I have a hard time investing myself in non-fiction that doesn't read like a narrative. Each chapter goes over a different event in her life, but the chapters feel disjointed and the information is given more in list format than narrative. The stakes are clearly defined and some commentary is given to add drama, but it still did not fully engage me as a reader. Overall lots of interesting information, but not really for people who don't typically like non-fiction books.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fascinating woman! I have no idea how I had never ever read about her, as she was such a significant influence on the war in France, but I'm glad I came across this book, even accidentally.
There were a lot of dry descriptions, and more detail on the basic facts of WW2 than I felt necessary, but I can see how younger readers might need that context. It didn't take away from the details of Virginia's life. Although much of what she did was mundane in the details, it was certainly important and impactful in total.

[Stephanie Egts Ashraf · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this with my 8-year-old daughter. This non-fiction book, written by the same author who wrote "A Woman of No Importance," describes the inspiring lengths Virginia Hall took to fight against oppression and injustice during WW2. She pushed back against unnecessary limits placed on her by others and saved countless lives in the process. This true story is incredible. The book is a tough read for any age, especially to keep track of the many characters, but my daughter still appreciated the story and was typically able to track main themes

[Kristin Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I had never heard of Virginia Hall and am happy I had this chance to learn about her. Pretty impressive accomplishments! I felt like this young readers edition gave me enough of the story, plus I saved some time by not reading the original (A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II)!

[Leanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

From my 10YO son: "Thrilling. 5⭐ Shows that women can be pretty darn tough. I read that Virginia had a building named after her in one of my military history books and now I know why!"

From me: Good read aloud for a history lover, lots of audible gasps, astonishment, and historical teachable moments. At a few points, my son noted that the discrimination and sexism Hall faced hurt everyone (I'm paraphrasing). That observation alone was worth a million bucks to me

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love learning things that I never knew before. I’m so glad I met Virginia in this book. Now that I know her, there are so many ways I want to be like her: her bravery and courage, her grace under pressure, her passionate spirit. Never one to accept defeat, she vowed to defeat Hitler and the Germans worked to free her beloved adopted country of France. These stories of her life seem made for a spy novel. Highly recommended very readable nonfiction!

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Virginia Hall's legendary record as a highly accomplished allied spy during WWII is remarkable, and this account of it is a young-readers version of Sonia Purnell's 2019 "A Woman of No Importance." Virginia's leadership and service span Europe and the entire war as she works tirelessly for the cause while pushing back against sexism and skepticism among her colleagues. The narrative here was a little dry and could have used more momentum from chapter to chapter, but the monumental impact of Virginia's work, physical endurance, the harrowing scrapes she got out of - evading the Nazis again and again, and her courage and skill under pressure make it so compelling. I think this would be appropriate for 4th graders and up, and any kid interested in WWII would enjoy it.

[Christine]

Lots of interesting detail in this one! I did find it be slow going but I think that is reader error and not how the book is written! I don't often read nonfiction texts. I appreciated the inclusion of photographs as it helped me imagine the people better. I found it very sad that Virginia Hall wasn't more appreciated during her time (not by the public since she would have hated that but by those in the upper echelons of power).

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know much about Virginia Hall until I picked up this book. Although it is non-fiction, it reads like a thriller! I think if your reader doesn't love spies or details about being undercover, this one might not be for them. The one consideration I have; Virginia Hall used prostitutes for information. There is absolutely no details about how they got information, or what they did at all. It was just a fact they put in the book.

Found in L4M OT Volume 65.

[Megan Welbourne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed in this YA adaptation. While the story of Virginia Hall is amazing and worth knowing about, I don’t feel this book will engage young readers. There were some short descriptions of exciting episodes, but for the most part it read like a history textbook- listing names and locations over and over. I think the incredible aspects of Virginia’s heroism were not exemplified in a way to grab a young reader.

[Daniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first book I have listened to about Virginia Hall. I have read a book called Wolves at the door about her. So I knew something about her before I listened to Agent most wanted.

I don't know what I want to say about Agent most wanted. I suppose it was Ok. I did not get into the book that much. Maybe I understand books better by reading them I don't know. I just did not get that interested when I listen to the book.

[Shari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed learning about Virginia Hall and her incredible accomplishments during WWII. While facing discrimination because of her gender and her disability, she never gave up and rarely complained, doing whatever was necessary to help the French Resistance.
This is a fast-paced, action-packed narrative that will appeal to readers who love war/military/spy stories.

[Jennifer Denney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the true story of an American woman who was the most successful and elusive secret agent in Europe during WWII. I admire her intelligence, bravery, and skill that despite having a prosthetic leg and living in a man’s world she rose to every situation she found herself in and saved countless lives.

[Amy Wass · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure how a biography was going to land with our crew, but we did this as a read aloud and they were really into the story and indignant at the way the main character was treated. My kids walked away from the book with a deeper appreciation for people and situations (talked about in age appropriate ways) surrounding WW2 and a broader understanding as well.

[Hali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again I’m fascinated to learn of another key player in the effort to combat the Nazi party of WWII. Virginia Hall is a name I had never heard of until reading this book, it is devastating to know how her career ended simply because she was a woman being shut out by a male dominated career. She was a true hero who saved many lives.