A rich, well-paced narrative.
An isolated factory in Nazi-occupied Norway is an important link in a plan to deliver a nuclear weapon for Hitler until Norwegian resistance fighters embark on a dangerous mission to stop it.
The reach of Nazi Germany into Norway did not mean just another country for Hitler’s domination; it also provided access to the “heavy water” that would allow the Third Reich to develop an atomic bomb. The stories of the Norwegian men who joined forces with the British to cripple the efforts at Vemork, an isolated but essential industrial fortress, are at the center of this story. Their dramatic first failure and the subsequent successful mission make for a harrowing tale. The impact of weather, near starvation, and communication difficulties contribute to page-turning tension. The fact that the first success slowed but did not stop Nazi efforts, requiring yet another mission, delivers even more for the unfolding narrative. In this young-readers adaptation of The Winter Fortress (2016), Bascomb successfully describes the story’s technical details: the process of making heavy water and its importance in creating a nuclear weapon, the strategies to disrupt the process, and the weather and topography, which played such crucial roles in the mission’s execution and the saboteurs’ escapes. The book is enhanced by impressive supplemental material, including a helpful list of participants, photographs, maps, and an intriguing author’s note.
A rich, well-paced narrative. (bibliography, source note, photo credits, index) (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: May 31, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-73243-7
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Levine/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2016
Small but mighty necessary reading.
A miniature manifesto for radical queer acceptance that weaves together the personal and political.
Eli, a cis gay white Jewish man, uses his own identities and experiences to frame and acknowledge his perspective. In the prologue, Eli compares the global Jewish community to the global queer community, noting, “We don’t always get it right, but the importance of showing up for other Jews has been carved into the DNA of what it means to be Jewish. It is my dream that queer people develop the same ideology—what I like to call a Global Queer Conscience.” He details his own isolating experiences as a queer adolescent in an Orthodox Jewish community and reflects on how he and so many others would have benefitted from a robust and supportive queer community. The rest of the book outlines 10 principles based on the belief that an expectation of mutual care and concern across various other dimensions of identity can be integrated into queer community values. Eli’s prose is clear, straightforward, and powerful. While he makes some choices that may be divisive—for example, using the initialism LGBTQIAA+ which includes “ally”—he always makes clear those are his personal choices and that the language is ever evolving.
Small but mighty necessary reading. (resources) (Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 2, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-09368-9
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
Brief yet inspirational, this story will galvanize youth to use their voices for change.
Testa’s connection to and respect for nature compelled her to begin championing animal causes at the age of 10, and this desire to have an impact later propelled her to dedicate her life to fighting plastic pollution. Starting with the history of plastic and how it’s produced, Testa acknowledges the benefits of plastics for humanity but also the many ways it harms our planet. Instead of relying on recycling—which is both insufficient and ineffective—she urges readers to follow two additional R’s: “refuse” and “raise awareness.” Readers are encouraged to do their part, starting with small things like refusing to use plastic straws and water bottles and eventually working up to using their voices to influence business and policy change. In the process, she highlights other youth advocates working toward the same cause. Short chapters include personal examples, such as observations of plastic pollution in Mauritius, her maternal grandparents’ birthplace. Testa makes her case not only against plastic pollution, but also for the work she’s done, resulting in something of a college-admissions–essay tone. Nevertheless, the first-person accounts paired with science will have an impact on readers. Unfortunately, no sources are cited and the lack of backmatter is a missed opportunity.
Brief yet inspirational, this story will galvanize youth to use their voices for change. (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-22333-8
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020
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