The Gadget [Mass Market Paperback]

Paul Zindel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 11, 2003

Near the end of World War II, scientists in Los Alamos, New Mexico, are working on a project that will alter the fate of the world. Thirteen-year-old Stephen Orr is living at a top secret military base with his father who is a leading physicist building the atomic bomb. Stephen realizes the dangers involved when one of the scientists becomes hospitalized as a result of working with the project. The scientist alerts him to disasters that could come from The Gadget. Stephen feels it is up to him and his friend Tilanov
to find the answers that lie behind this veil of secrecy.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

It's 1945, and 13-year-old Stephen has just reached the gates of the top secret military base in Los Alamos, New Mexico. He has come to join his father, a famous physicist who is working on a covert project for the Allies. Though his father is forbidden to discuss the project in any detail, Stephen can tell by his haunted eyes and shaking hands how worried he and the other scientists are. After a few weeks, Stephen finds that he cannot control his insatiable curiosity. Enlisting the help of his new friend Tilanov, Stephen devises a plan to discover the true nature of "the gadget." But when he finally learns what it is, he also realizes another startling truth--that he has trusted the wrong person with the information and not only his life, but the lives of all Americans, could be in terrible danger.

The greatest strength of The Gadget is how Paul Zindel communicates, in clear and simple prose, how terribly uncertain many of those "in the know" were about dropping the atom bomb, and the idea that no one--not even top scientists--could really predict what the outcome would be. By combining this disconcerting notion with a rapid-fire plot and an Everyman teen protagonist, young adult veteran author Zindel has created a historical fiction that reads like a thrilling action-adventure pulp novel, except, (and this is the best part)--it's all true. Curious readers will also find a World War II chronology, bibliography, and short bios of prominent figures involved in the making of the atom bomb. (Ages 11 to 14) --Jennifer Hubert --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Zindel maintains the page-turning immediacy of his recent novels (The Doom Stone; Reef of Death) while examining a serious piece of WWII history: the making of the atomic bomb. Through the eyes of 13-year-old Stephen, the son of one of the scientists working in Los Alamos, N.Mex., Zindel reveals the moral dilemmas lurking behind a veil of secrecy. Stephen's father works side by side with Robert Oppenheimer and other renowned physicists. Stephen gets wind of the danger involved in their covert experiments after one of the scientists is hospitalized; the victim, Dr. Soifer, piques Stephen's curiosity and alerts him to the potential disasters that could result from the "Gadget." Stephen befriends Tilanov, whose father also works on the base, and they set out together to find answers about the mysterious project, an investigation that leads to danger and disillusionment. In Stephen, Zindel combines a canny mix of innocence and intelligence, and thus allows readers to examine carefully a complex set of questions about moral and political issues and responsibilities. The novel challenges idealized views of patriotism and unconditional trust. Readers will come away from this story with much food for thought, and can go on to further reading thanks to the book's comprehensive list of historical events and descriptions of figures who played a key role in constructing these first bombs. Ages 11-up.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Laurel Leaf (February 11, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440229510
• ISBN-13: 978-0440229513
• Product Dimensions: 4.3 x 0.5 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #375,882 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reasonably balanced -- which is saying a lot these days., May 16, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Gadget (Hardcover)

Political correctness has invaded children's literature in a big way. If you have any doubts about that, peruse the "new books" shelf in the juvenile section of your local library.

That's why it was refreshing to see that Zindel provided a reasonably balanced presentation of the pros and cons of the use of the A-bomb to end the war. The protagonist, young Stephen, was used by Zindel to give the "con" view (not completely realistically; it's unlikely that a child would immediately grasp all the implications and give all the usual suggestions about alternatives to using the bomb -- making a "demonstration drop" in the ocean, for example). But the character of Stephen's father was used to expound the reasons the bomb, horrible as it was, needed to be used.

My own view is that the use of the bomb was necessary and justifiable. But whether the young readers of this book agree with me or not, I am pleased that they are being given something to think about -- rather than being fed blatant propaganda.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gadget Review by Evan, November 3, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Gadget (Hardcover)

I found this book a very interesting book. I liked how the author started off the story in London, showing the attack and all the information to get you caught up. Then when he moves the story to the military base in New Mexico, I found it easy to tell what was going on in the base, it was very descriptive. The author also made you wait a while until you found out what kind of project Stephens father was working on. Also when you meet Alexei you don't think anything is going on, just that he is an ordinary kid. So I like how he kind of hid things from you until he felt like he would let you know.
Also when he tells the historical events that are happening outside of the story it gave me a better sense of what time it was. And when you find out what the "Gadget" is you understand why the man in the hospital gave Stephen the sunglasses. Also, the author gave all the attacks on Japan and how effective the gadget was, which showed how many people were killed by only 4 men. The author also used foreshadowing when the maid told Stephen she thought Alexei was a spy, and he ended up trying to kill Stephen because he found out he was a spy. You also learn about the relationship the Stephen didn't have with his father so he found other people in the base that he could love.
He also she shows how the war was affecting everybody all over the world, even when the war was only going on between 3 countries. Over all I would recommend this book to people who like a good suspense or historical story. Go read this book and right a review.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An exciting recreation of the events at Los Alamos in 1945., January 16, 2001

By 

Rebecca Herman (USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Gadget (Hardcover)

After living in London for most of World War II, Stephen is finally able to join his father, an American scientist, at Los Alamos, New Mexico, in February of 1945. At first Stephen is able to simply accept the secrecy of the work going on - but after an accident, he begins to question the veil of secrecy, for things are strange at Los Alamos. An unusually warm stream nearby is filled with two-headed toads. When he questions the victim of the accident, he is told of the mysterious "gadget" - a weapon that could cause the very sky to burn. This knowledge only makes Stephen more determined to find out what is going on. This determination could cost Stephen his life. Because the weapon that is being developed at Los Alamos will change the world forever. And there are people who would kill to find out what it is. This was a faced-past, suspenseful novel that recreated the events at Los Alamos, New Mexico, in 1945, as the age of nuclear weapons began.