Neal Bascomb, author of The Nazi Hunters, is back again with Sabotage: The Mission to Destroy Hitler’s Atomic Bomb. This gripping non-fiction novel is complete with science, mystery, and suspense as it follows the true tale of Hitler’s plan to engage in total destruction.
The novel begins in 1940, when Germany attacked Norway. Bascomb gives the reader a background and scientific knowledge about nuclear fission and surprisingly, the importance of water. Readers will learn how complicated and specific the recipe was to create this bomb and the tactic mission involved. Ironically, scientists were not planning on creating this destruction, yet their discovery of it helped stop Hitler from destroying the world. Not only does the novel follow the timeline accurately, it is complete with details and true characters, that readers cannot help but become engrossed in the story.
While there is a lot of information and people and places to remember, this novel will allow readers to understand the true history and politics surrounding World War II. Sabotage does include maps, pronunciation of words, and photographs which does help break up the extensive vocabulary. Readers who are in grades eight through twelve would enjoy reading this novel. Due to the historical content, students in lower grades may not grasp the context discussed in this novel.
- Posted by Jacquie