Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown (Bomb: The Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon #2)

Gr 6 Up—Sheinkin delivers another heart-pounding tale, picking up where his 2012 award-winning book Bomb left off: the end of World War II and the start of the Cold War. The story opens in 1953, with Jimmy Bozart, the 13-year old paperboy who discovered a hollow nickel dropped by Soviet spy Rudolf Abel, a key early player in the series of conflicts that would lead up to the Cuban Missile Crisis. In tightly organized chapters adorned with historical photos, Sheinkin seamlessly weaves the stories of different players and includes meticulously well-researched details to personalize and humanize his subjects. Key events from the Cold War are dramatized in detailed scenes, including the inception of the arms race between the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R., the capture of U2 pilot Francis Powers, the Bay of Pigs invasion, and the building of the Berlin Wall. While Sheinkin examines up close the spies, ordinary citizens, scientists, and world leaders—including Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Khrushchev—who put events into motion, he simultaneously considers the bigger picture, not making outright villains or heroes of either side, except perhaps Soviet commander Vasily Arkhipov, who prevented a nuclear submarine strike during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Sheinkin concludes with just how close the world came to catastrophe, and urges readers not to repeat the mistakes of the past. Teens who love history such as Marc Favreau's Spies and historical fiction like Jennifer Nielsen's A Night Divided won't be able to put this one down. VERDICT A first purchase for all teen collections.—Erica Ruscio, Ventress Memorial Lib., Marshfield, MA

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

This twisty spy story interweaves tautly paced political drama to document the perilous Cold War period and escalating conflict between the United States and Soviet Union. Newbery Honoree Sheinkin immediately hooks readers with an account of how a 1953 chance exchange of two hollow coins with film hidden inside tipped the CIA off to a Soviet spy ring; eventually, the lens extends to the Cuban Missile Crisis and the standoff between U.S. president John F. Kennedy and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. In addition to spies and political machinations, Sheinkin skillfully describes the science behind the race to develop fission bombs and conquer space, the nuclear threat and mutually assured destruction, and how the fear, bomb shelters, and classroom drills infused everyday life. Throughout, the highly charged narrative maintains a strong perspective and keen attention to detail, rounding out the figures involved--such as the American pilot Gary Powers, who flew U-2 jets to spy on Russia--with character and personality. The midsection can sometimes lag as it details the intricate chess game between Kennedy and Khrushchev, but b&w photographs heighten the tension in this dramatic and informative chronicle. Ages 10-up. (Sept.)

Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

In this gripping account, Newbery Honor Book author and Sibert medalist Sheinkin offers an intense narrative that captures the terrifying tensions of the Cold War. —Booklist, starred review

Sheinkin reprises his role as masterful, ever-so-wry storyteller, winking his audience into complicity in his critique of boneheaded brinksmanship... —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review

In tightly organized chapters adorned with historical photos, Sheinkin seamlessly weaves the stories of different players and includes meticulously well-researched details to personalize and humanize his subjects... A first purchase for all teen collections. —School Library Journal, starred review

Throughout, the highly charged narrative maintains a strong perspective and keen attention to detail, rounding out the figures involved—such as the American pilot Gary Powers, who flew U-2 jets to spy on Russia—with character and personality. —Publishers Weekly, starred review

Steve Sheinkin recounts the most intense years of the Cold War with a cinematic writing style that is keenly detailed... Look no further for informative and entertaining nonfiction. —Shelf Awareness, starred review

Sheinkin crafts an epic narrative with a large cast of characters, far-flung settings, multiple plot strands, and rising suspense, further evidence that one of our best nonfiction writers is also one of our best storytellers. — Book Horn Magazine, starred review

Steve Sheinkin's new nonfiction thriller about the Cold War is like one of its key emblems, the U-2 spy plane: fast, lean and able to survey a huge amount of territory. —The New York Times

An account of a gripping real-life adventure that isn't over yet. —Kirkus Reviews