Heavy Medal Mock Newbery Finalist: FALLOUT by Steve Sheinkin
Introduction by Heavy Medal Award Committee member Tamara DePasquale
Masterful storyteller Steve Sheinkin returns with a follow-up to his award-winning title, Bomb: the Race to Build – and Steal – the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon with another thoroughly researched, well-organized, and highly engaging account of the mounting tensions and conflicts between the United States and the Soviet Union following WWII.
From the very first page, Sheinkin demonstrates his keen ability to engage and lure his reader into the unfolding events of the Cold War with a spy story that rivals most Hollywood productions. Thirteen year old paperboy Jimmy Bozart receives a gratuity that includes one quarter and five nickels – one of which is a hollow coin concealing top secret codes and information. This single event launches the reader into one of the most intense periods in US history.
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The robust cast of characters, also referred to as “The Players,” are both notable historical figures as well as little known citizens and military personnel whose words and actions lend clarity and depth to the complex game of one-upmanship. Black and white photographs help put faces to names, but it is again Sheinkin’s engrossing narrative and well-placed anecdotes that keep these individuals distinct and “alive” throughout.
Political, historical, and social events also come to life through vivid details and storytelling to provide the reader with a coherent setting and timeline of events to support the well-drawn characters. Details of bunker drills and fallout shelters are cleverly woven among these details to once again give the reader a relatable and upfront seat to the rising intensity between two super powers at the brink of nuclear war.
What makes this title an important and distinguished addition to nonfiction for young people rests in Sheinkin’s well-crafted telling. Characters, both major and minor, perfect pacing, and a page-turning narrative combine to make this a standout, accessible title and one worthy of Newbery consideration.
Heavy Medal Award Committee members and others are now invited to discuss this book further in the Comments section below. Please start with positive observations first; stick to positives until at least three comments have been posted or we reach 1:00 pm EST. Let the Mock Newbery discussion begin!:
Filed under: Book Discussion, Heavy Medal Mock
About Emily Mroczek-Bayci
Emily Mroczek (Bayci) is a freelance children’s librarian in the Chicago suburbs. She served on the 2019 Newbery committee. You can reach her at emilyrmroczek@gmail.com.
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Fallout was a book that I had not intended to read, until I saw that it was one of those selected for this blog. I am so glad it was. This book blew me away. Sheinkin is a masterful storyteller who expertly tells historical information in a way that reads like fiction. I was on the edge of my seat throughout this entire book. I came into this book with very little information, besides the basics covered in high school, about the Cuban Missile Crisis and the events that led up to it.
I love how Sheinkin demonstrates the humanity of both Kennedy and Khrushchev and really brings them to life as complex individuals who were battling multiple factors while trying to keep the world at peace. But it was not only these prominent individuals that Sheinkin focuses on, but the multiple actors who played a role as well as the everyday lives of people who were impacted during this tense time.
This is truly a masterpiece of narrative non-fiction that I would encourage all readers to pick up. Fallout will not only appeal to lovers of history and the Cold War, but to all readers who are looking for a gripping story.
This book hooked me right from the start! I would never have chosen this for myself but I loved every page. The suspense built throughout each chapter as the reader gets closer and closer to the climax; even knowing the ending didn’t prevent me from feeling nervous. His impeccable research made the characters come alive. I’ve never felt such empathy for Kennedy and even Khrushchev!
This book sparked me to ask questions of my family members who lived through these events and it really put today’s angst into perspective. I immediately recommended the book to someone else and that is the hallmark of an award winner. I can imagine many students who will be intrigued by this story and bring their perspectives to the conflict. As Sheinkin says, our students will have to figure out the new dangers and this book might inspire them to “not depend on luck”.
Of the three books discussed so far, Fallout is definitely my favorite. There are no slow parts to this book. Sheinkin hooks the reader from the first page and there is a little something for everyone. There is obviously the history aspect, but he includes scientific discoveries and even a little bit of mystery. For those interested in adventure, Fallout is full of that too. Because of this book has a bigger reader appeal. The photographs are great as well and added in perfect spots.
Like all of Sheinkin’s books, this is one I recommend to adult audiences without my usual disclaimer of, “Well, it’s written for kids, but I PROMISE you’ll love it!” Related to that, though, is my only concern about the book, which is appeal to young readers. I feel this one skews more young adult than children’s, especially since younger readers likely have little/no background knowledge of the Cold War. But perhaps I’m underestimating them—has anyone else gotten reviews from young readers on this one?
I have a question for the committee. The Criteria state, “the committee is not to consider the entire body of the work by an author.” But the Criteria also instructs the committee, “each book is to be considered as a contribution to literature” and also defines distinguished as “individually distinct.” In an earlier discussion of THE BEATRYCE PROPHECY there was some talk about whether DiCamillo should be awarded for basically being herself and doing what she’s always done (with the implicit question of, is it then a “contribution” or “distinct”.) The Criteria doesn’t explicitly give originality or freshness as considerations, but I think it’s not too hard to argue that they’re implied.
Anyway, Sheinkin raises the same questions for me. Fallout is one of 3 books on the HM list I haven’t read, and the reason is, well, I’ve read everything Sheinkin has written for the past several years, and though I appreciate his strengths, at this point I feel like I also know his shtick. So my questions to you are 1) Am I wrong? Are there surprises here for Sheinkin readers? 2) If this is “just another Sheinkin book”, could that be a factor in deciding its award-worthiness?
Good questions, Leonard. In my own mind, at least, I see that “individually distinct” as referring to “…among this year’s books.” That “not to consider the entire body of work” is pretty direct: no comparing this Sheinkin to other Sheinkins. At the same time, though, it’s expected that Committee Members come into the process with a strong background in children’s literature. So they should know BOMB and PORT 57 and other Sheinkins…and knowing those books might have helped to shape their views about what distinguished nonfiction writing looks like. So maybe in a roundabout way that could hurt authors who repeat themselves.
I don’t think that’s what happens in FALLOUT, though. The characters and events are different from his other books. He does use a similar approach: multiple plot threads, mixing famous and lesser know figures, building suspense….but it all feels fresh to me.
Though this is going back a bit, Russell Freedman (4) and Jim Murphy (2) both won Newbery recognition multiple times for nonfiction history/biography, and the style of their award books was not really very different from their previous ones…they just applied it to different subjects, as Sheinkin does.
I’ve read all of Sheinkin’s books, including the earlier ones (which I found to be weaker), and this one is riveting: breakneck pace, incredible interviews and direct quotes, absolutely staggering storytelling. So great I can’t believe it’s nonfiction. I think this is his best book yet, and it definitely stands alone.
Sheinkin does it again with this book, like all his others. I agree that he is a masterful storyteller and there is such a need for compelling non-fiction books for the nonfiction reader. I have students that have read every Sheinkin book and so when a new one comes out they are lining up to read it. I am so impressed with his research, knowledge, and the way he weaves the stories with interesting characters. Non-fiction is so important, probably now more than ever to help children understand history and learn more about it in a compelling format.
In her introduction Tamara mentions the “robust cast of characters” and several comments have also mentioned that as a strength. The Newbery Criteria mention “delineation of characters” as a literary quality to consider, and while we normally think of fiction with that one, this book demonstrated how important it can be in nonfiction. And in some ways more challenging.
The strong characterizations also impact the appeal to young readers that Emily brings up. A different writer may have opened the book with an overview or background of the times and issues. Shienkin starts with a paperboy. I feel like his attempts to bring those characters alive address the “respect for children’s understandings, abilities, and appreciations” pretty effectively.
One element that I think is especially strong in Fallout is plot development and pacing. We don’t always consider this when we think of nonfiction, but especially in the case of narrative nonfiction, plot development is an essential element. The author has to always be considering where they want the story to go next, what information will add to the narrative and how do they keep building the tension. And seriously, this is done expertly here. Sheinkin was so careful to give us the information at exactly the right time to keep us wanting more from the story. The planning that had to go into not only what information was important but also when to tell us that information is really crucial work that makes this particular piece a real page turner. Honestly, I knew how this story was going to end and yet I could not stop reading. There were several points in the story where I noticed my pulse quicken as the tension grew. To me, that points to expert plot development with careful attention to the pacing.
I completely agree – the pacing is excellent. It kept me glued to the book, even when I knew what would happen next. The structure here is also outstanding.
FALLOUT is one of the books at the top of my list for the Newbery. The development of plot in this multi-layered book was so fascinating, that I read the book in one sitting. Sheinkin definitely has a knack for storytelling. He is able to include the smallest details, such as the paperboy incident, the hollow coins, and the Berlin tunnel diggers and weave them into the complex story of Cold War games with the Russians without losing the reader. He knows how to give just the right amount of background information on historical events, so the reader understands how events are related.
This book is also strong in delineation of characters. Sheinkin is able to capture both the human nature of his characters as well as showing the dramatic significance of their actions on history. I loved how he looked at historical events from the point of view from a variety of players, such as the Cuban missile crises from the perspectives of Khrushchev, to Kennedy to Castro and showed how they were bluffing each other, yet showing just how closely we came to war. And as Tamara mentioned “the robust cast of characters” lent clarity and depth to the complex war games played in this book, and I agree as Steven stated that this is challenging to achieve in nonfiction.
This book is strong in presentation of information. It is well researched with source notes, bibliography and an index for references. The Table of Contents provides a clear picture of the book’s organization and shows how big and small events are related to one another, as well as showing the significance of the major and minor players in historical events.
Stephanie, I lived through the Cuban missile crisis when I was a little girl and was as terrified of it as was shown in this book. So when I read this book, and loved it so much, I thought I might just be biased, and that others would not be as engaged with this book as I was. I am glad to see that this book engaged other readers.
So even through I have my own bias, I think this book is excellent nonfiction. Sheinkin’s narrative writing style with well developed first hand accounts brings his subjects to life, telling the story of multiple spies, how they worked and the techniques they used, definitely appeals to kids. The different settings are well described and add clarity to this time in history, the book is well researched and the delineation of characters is strong.
A few days late due to a lost box but everyone’s comments on pacing and character delineation are spot on. This is my first Sheinkin book and I stayed engaged the whole time! I do second Michelle’s thoughts about this being more YA though. It presumes some knowledge about World War II and history that I’m not sure even the upper end of the Newbery range (14) always have. Definitely a strong narrative nonfiction title overall though!
I agree with all of the positive comments. I would also like to add that as adults, we know the outcome of this “story,” yet Sheinkin’s telling kept us reading to the end. How many of you did it in one sitting? I just couldn’t put this one down. I think that speaks to Sheinkin’s ability to effortlessly give us a nonfiction title that reads like fiction. I have mentioned this before, but an article written by Russell Freedman long ago referred to this ability as the “pleasure principle” of writing nonfiction.
I found this book terrifying, so I think that puts me in the excellence of pacing and setting camp. I did occasionally feel overwhelmed by all the different threads, but having read most of Sheinkin’s other work, I trusted him to bring it all together in the end. The thoughts on age category are interesting–this read pretty much the same age as Bomb to me, which of course already won a Newbery Honor. The publisher lists it as for ages 10-14 and I was surprised to see that it did not make the YALSA Nonfiction finalist list, which maybe is an indication that it is not viewed as YA.
Even after reading all the comments, I’m still not quite feeling the luster of this one. I thought Sheinikin had really good attention to details and liked how he followed people throughout the story (like paperboy Jimmy Bozart) but felt he significantly left out other details like more information on Gary Powers (and how that trade actually came to be). I also felt the back and forth in the middle lagged a lot, which shows real life ut probably could have been cut. Especially when I compare this to Genius Under the Table, I don’t feel as impressed as everyone else.
I tried to read this twice and it turned out to be a DNF (did not finish) for me. Since I’m not a children’s librarian any more, I figured it was my prerogative to give up on it. The only DNF out of this year’s list.