The Year of the Bomb [Hardcover]

Ronald Kidd (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 9, 2009

The year is 1955, and there’s nothing that Paul and his best friends, Oz, Arnie, and Crank, love more than horror movies. So when Invasion of the Body Snatchers starts filming in their small California town, they couldn’t be more excited. But when their acquaintance with Laura and Darryl, extras on the movie, leads to an involvement in a possible Communist conspiracy, Paul is afraid that they’re in too deep. It’s not a horror movie anymore—this is real life. From acclaimed storyteller Ronald Kidd comes this coming-of-age tale about taking a stand, following the crowd, and navigating the gray areas in between.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7–In the 1950s in Sierra Madre, CA, four seventh graders, enamored of horror movies, have the thrill of a lifetime when a movie crew comes to town to film Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Paul is the narrator. His colorful friends include the son of a blacklisted sound editor, a scrawny scaredy-cat, and a tough guy who can't help picking on the others. The Red Scare plays a prominent role as the boys investigate a professor at a nearby university who worked on the Manhattan Project and was friendly with a Russian spy. The novel covers a lot of ground. The boys are charming and real, although readers may come away wishing there had been more closure concerning the children's family lives and interpersonal relationships. Still, they will learn a lot about the era, and the details about the horror and science-fiction genres and the movie industry are stellar. Expect questions about spies and bombs, and circulation of 1950s horror flicks to skyrocket.–Jake Pettit, Thompson Valley High School, Loveland, CO
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About the Author

Ronald Kidd is the author of the highly acclaimed Monkey Town: The Summer of the Scopes Trial, as well as On Beale Street. His novels of adventure, comedy, and mystery have received the Children's Choice Award, an Edgar Award nomination, and honors from the American Library Association, the Library of Congress, and the New York Public Library. He is a two-time O'Neill playwright who lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers (June 9, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416958924
• ISBN-13: 978-1416958925
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,440,493 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Library Lady Hylary - A fun look into the not-too-distant past!, May 17, 2011

By 

Library Lady Hylary - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Year of the Bomb (Paperback)

Paul, Arnie, Crank and Oz are best friends living in Sierra Madre, a suburb of Los Angeles, in 1955. The boys love spending their summer days at the local theater watching the latest horror movies. When they learn that a new movie called Invasion of the Body Snatchers is set to be filmed in their town, they're ecstatic. The boys get to see the movie being filmed and even become friends with the director, Don Siegel, and a beautiful extra named Laura Burke. But when they learn that an FBI agent is working on the movie set to determine if anyone involved in the film is a communist, their summer of fun turns into their own hunt for Russian sympathizers.

The Year of the Bomb opens the door for tweens to learn about a time many may not be familiar with, the communist witch-hunts of the McCarthy era. Friends Paul, Arnie, Crank and Oz are a likeable gang of teenage boys who fill their days in much the same as their 2011 counterparts would: exploring the world through the eyes of the movie camera. Many classic horror films are mentioned in the book and will undoubtedly prompt curiosity on the part of young readers who want to learn more about Invaders from Mars or Invasion of the Body Snatchers. What makes the story so interesting is that it makes reference to real people, places and events. In a way, the novel is a history lesson disguised as a story about a group of friends in the 1950s. While The Year of the Bomb is not for everyone (tween girls might not be as interested in this title), it is an entertaining and well-written story that holds a lot of appeal for readers who are interested in this particular historical period.

I began reading this book not knowing quite what to expect, but was very pleased with what I found. The McCarthy-era is one of the most interesting and strange periods in American history and I love that Kidd created a book for tweens that looks into it. I had some familiarity with the movies mentioned in the story, but it definitely peaked my interest in watching more classic horror films, which I'm sure would be the effect upon tween readers as well.

Like my review? Go to my profile to find the link to my blog to see other books I recommend!

5.0 out of 5 stars '50's adventure, August 4, 2010

By 

Madigan McGillicuddy "Librarian" (Atlanta) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Year of the Bomb (Hardcover)

In Sierra Madre, California, 1955, Paul and his three best friends Oz, Crank and Arnie are obsessed with monster movies. The horror-movie fake-out at the beginning of the book really drew me in. Shortly after leaving the theater, Paul and his friends are overjoyed to learn that Invasion of the Body Snatchers will be coming to film in their downtown.

It really is amazing to think that this juxtaposition of events: monster movies and world altering break-throughs in physics, including work on nuclear bombs were all happening within a 15 mile radius. While Paul and his friends enjoy a lot of freedom - they ride their bikes, or bus around town, with no fear of crime, the negative sides to the 1950's are also highlighted. Hollywood Boulevard has yet to become a seedy (and later still, commercialized and gentrified) place. The book touches lightly on the Hollywood blacklist as well as the pressures that families (especially fathers) felt at that time to financially keep up with the Joneses.

There's a wonderful contrast in this novel between the (artificial) fear that Paul loves to inspire in himself watching monster movie matinees vs. the very real daily fears that he struggles with. He genuinely fears nuclear attack, and family dynamics are tense as his father slogs away in a top-secret military job that he hates in order to pay the bills. The other boys families have similar problems. Paul is soon drawn into some FBI intrigue, as one of the female extras on the set (who Paul immediately develops an innocent crush on) starts spying on her fellow castmates, looking for signs of Communist sympathizers.

I thought it strained credulity that the four boys would gain such easy access to the movie set, as well as famed physicist Richard Feynman's office. They literally show up and start grilling Feynman with questions. Feynman answers them in full and pours his heart out to the boys. Still, it's an enjoyable read and Kidd definitely manages to transport you to another time.

I would recommend this book for readers, especially boys, aged 9-12.

5.0 out of 5 stars a fantastic book, February 26, 2010

By 

Tommy Walters (Philadelphia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Year of the Bomb (Paperback)

Wow! I just finished this book and can't wait to get it into the hands of my kids. This book really captures the paranoia that was the 1950's. Set against the back drop of the filming of INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (one of my favorite movies), this story follows four young kids as they search out the communist threat in their community. One of the blurbs compared it to STAND BY ME, and it was a good comparison. This book is a terrific look at the feeling and attitudes of the people during the cold war. This is a must read for students. This would go great in a history class or paired with Arthur Miller's THE CRUCIBLE.