Sheinkin, Steve. Bomb: The Race to Build and Steal the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon.

Sheinkin, Steve.  Bomb: The Race to Build and Steal the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon. 

Roaring Brook Press see Macmillan Children's Publishing Group          265p  $19.99   978-1-59643-487-5         2012      ms/hs  E-BN  Nonfiction                                                   

The intellectual battle waged between physicists on both sides of the world in World War II was just as fierce as any land or sea military battle.  Almost everyone has a basic understanding of the secret military project that developed the atomic bomb in World War II.  Less well-known to teenage readers is the large network of spies that Russia used to gain information about how to make a bomb and how Russia was able to get their spies into Los Alamos.  With numerous quotes, this book describes the recruitment of those spies, how they infiltrated the inner core of bomb makers, and how they communicated their knowledge to Russia.  It also provides a personalized look at the physicists and military personnel involved in building the bomb and flying it to Japan.  The book reads like a movie script - fast paced, with enough quirky comments and quotations to keep the reader constantly involved.  The spy missions to bomb the heavy water facility in Norway and to keep Hitler from becoming the first to successfully build an atomic bomb are interwoven with the narrative of what was happening on the American side of the world. This book provides an outstanding look at “the gadget” and its development.  The last chapter focuses on the after effects on the people who created it, its impact on the war, and continued concern about its use. Source notes, index, and photos complete the book.                                   

Atomic Bomb                                                                                                                                                        --Lois McNicol