Sabotage: The Mission to Destroy Hitler's Atomic Bomb (Scholastic Focus) 12+

About this book

The author of the award-winning The Nazi Hunters returns with another thrilling true story of WWII espionage!

April 9, 1940.

The invasion begins at night, with German cruisers slipping up a silent fjord. Soon planes full of paratroopers roar over the mountains, and in two months, the Nazis occupy all of Norway. They cripple food supplies to the Norwegian people. And at the Vemork power plant, they gain access to an essential ingredient in the weapon that could end the war: Hitler's very own nuclear bomb.

February 24, 1943.

When the Allies discover the plans for the bomb, they agree Vemork must be destroyed. But after a British operation fails to stop the Nazis' deadly designs, the task falls to a band of passionate Norwegian commandos — young men who long to free their country from Nazi rule. Armed with little more than parachutes, skis, explosives, and great courage, they will survive months in the snowy wilderness and execute two desperately dangerous missions. The result? The greatest act of sabotage in all of World War II.

Reviews

Praise for Sabotage:

"This is an exciting and impeccably researched story of science, spies, and commando raids -- page-turning nonfiction at its best." -- Steve Sheinkin, Newbery Honor-winning author of Bomb: The Race to Build -- and Steal -- the World's Most Dangerous Weapon

* "Bascomb is a master of taking complicated histories and turning them into exciting works of nonfiction... This excellent treatise on a little-known episode of World War II is a first choice." -- School Library Journal, starred review

"Bascomb's detailed narrative builds tension through each attempt, narrow escape, and comeback...vivid descriptions of the principal participants and their motivations, rigors of Norway's climate and terrain, and the risks calculated (and those unforeseen), producing a gripping account of individual and collective heroic effort." -- Publishers Weekly

"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." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Bascomb admirably balances dramatic tension and context throughout... Sabotage will find its place in a growing body of narrative nonfiction centering on military and political history." -- Horn Book

"Bascomb's clear-eyed account, helped along by photos, maps, and diagrams, of the thrilling mission and its many challenges... will handily engage teens." -- Booklist


Praise for The Nazi Hunters:

Winner of the YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award
Winner of the Sydney Taylor Book Award for Teen Readers

"The Nazi Hunters is a fabulously exciting piece of history that teens should know about -- and now they will! Bascomb's detailed scenes allow readers to live through this true tale of courage and daring as if they were there." -- Deborah Heiligman, Printz Honor-winning author of Charles and Emma and Intentions

"I found The Nazi Hunters riveting, from its suspenseful search for Eichmann to the capture of the war criminal responsible for orchestrating the murder of eleven million people, including six million Jews. Neal Bascomb's book is incredibly well-researched and paced like an espionage thriller. The hunters' commitment to bringing Eichmann to justice is sure to captivate readers." -- Susan Campbell Bartoletti, Newbery Honor-winning author of Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow and The Boy Who Dared

"From cafés in Buenos Aires to the halls of the fledgling Israeli government, from false identities to secret drops, this story has all the hallmarks of a spy novel. Bascomb has a knack for turning complex detail into a suspenseful, heart-pounding narrative." -- School Library Journal

"Photographs are included throughout the text, adding not just to the evidence of Eichmann's guilt but to the reader's sense of being along on the mission." -- The Horn Book Magazine

"Tension rises from the pages, thanks to Bascomb's command of pacing, judicious use of quoted material, inclusion of archival photographs and strong descriptions." -- Kirkus Reviews