The Gadget

by Paul Zindel

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.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, World War II, Adventure, Middle Grade, Historical

184 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 3, 2000

About the author

Paul Zindel was an American author, playwright and educator.

In 1964, he wrote The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, his first and most successful play. The play ran off-Broadway in 1970, and on Broadway in 1971. It won the 1971 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was also made into a 1972 movie by 20th Century Fox. Charlotte Zolotow, then a vice-president at Harper & Row (now Harper-Collins) contacted him to writing for her book label. Zindel wrote 39 books, all of them aimed at children or young adults. Many of these were set in his home town of Staten Island, New York. They tended to be semi-autobiographical, focusing on teenage misfits with abusive or neglectful parents. Despite the often dark subject matter of his books, which deal with loneliness, loss, and the effects of abuse, they are also filled with humor. Many of his novels have wacky titles, such as My Darling, My Hamburger, or Confessions of A Teenage Baboon.

The Pigman, first published in 1968, is widely taught in American schools, and also made it on to the list of most frequently banned books in America in the 1990s, because of what some deem offensive language.

Reviews

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is actually my second time reading this book, but it's been several years since my first read. I've read much more information about the WWII and the Manhattan Project since then, and even so, this one started off with the terrifying realities of war on our youth. This was a fast-paced read that was intense and definitely kept me on the edge of my seat.

[Josh Frerichs]

The main character is Stephen, and he was in London during world war 2 when the Germans were bombing the city. Stephen was traumatized when his cousin was blown up by a bomb right in front of him. Stephen was then sent to the U.S.by his mom to live with his dad on a military base to be safe. Stephens dad is a scientist on a secret project on the base. One day on the base Stephen meets a new friend named Alexi. Alexi and Stephen do a lot of stuff together, like horseback riding and eating dinner by a campfire. After a long and peaceful time Alexi tells Stephen that the scientists are going to test the secret in the middle of the desert that night. It turns out the secret was the atomic bomb and Stephen and Alexi barely made it home alive without being caught. Then at the end Stephen discovers that Alexi and his whole family are Russian spies that were reporting the progress of the bomb the whole time. Then all the spies were taken away and Stephen and his dad have an argument about the ethics of bombing Japan.

[Collin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about the World War II atomic bomb. This story has the perspective of a kid named Stephen Orr who's father is a physicist who is working with Robert Oppenheimer leader of the "Manhattan Project". Stephen has a friend named Alexi who is a spy for Russia. Alexi get's killed by an oncoming train and his father is captured. Before that, Stephen goes to the site of the "Trinity" project (the testing of the exploding of the A-bomb.) and sees it explode. He is caught by M.P.s (Military Police) and is tested for radioactivity. He lives and is trusted with the secret. The war ends and the book end. It is a good book.

[Kenrick Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Book was a Young adult literature.

The book starts off in London, where he had live all his live. Now his mother told him he had to move with his father into a military base in Los Alamos because his cousin had died and his mother said it was unsafe. When he had gone down to his father in Los Alamos had had to live in a building and he got what he wanted and he had his own room. When he was there he had a maid and the book describes the place he live as a safe place .what I think from my opinion in that it was dark and gray, I also think there was barely no light and it was smoky and it look tiring.
I think that the setting really does matter because if it wasn't at a military base he would and would not have some privileges. The place that the story set would really make a difference if it was in another state or country. If it wasn't in the United States they wouldn't be dealing with the World War. I also think that if it didn't begin in London they wouldn't be dealing with nothing and the book would be a total bore.
I learn that you got to listen to people around you because you never know who you enemies are at the end of the day. The one you don’t talk to and don’t believe can save your life and the one that’s your best friend can turn his/her back any second and tell all the things that you told them. Also don’t trust the first person you see and think they are good people. At the last minute anyone can save you so be nice to everyone that you see .Don’t look on the outside look at what’s on the inside.
The way this affects me is it teach me not the smartest kid are trustable and all people can be trustable because we are human and we do thing that we are not proud of. Everyone have to know that they are the not perfect and the made mistake and glitches. If I was in this story I would of told Stephen to choose his friends wisely. You can’t trust all the people in this world but one of them could save your life so be nice.
I GIVE THIS BOOK 4 STARS. I really liked this book because it was really interesting and it took my attention and grabbed I would really like to read more book by this author .After the book was done I was kind of mad because the was no denouement and they didn’t tell us if they had went back to London .after that the book was really good. I would recommend more people to read this book because it teaches history while making it fun. If teachers had taught kids like this I bet they would learn better a have better grades. If I could change one part of this book I would change the fact that his cousin had died in the beginning of the book and o thin k that’s why we should listen to our parents more think Stephen went though lots of pain though the story. When I imagine myself in this book I think of all the things that went wrong.

[Rodger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently read The Green Glass Sea, so as I read this, it felt very familiar, while being quite a different story. (Both books are stories about a kid making a friend while the kid's father is working on the Manhattan project, and they're living in Los Alamos New Mexico).

This book is about a teenage boy with a temperament that doesn't mix well with the site. He's very curious and doesn't do well with secrets, but the whole point of the secret army base is that the project is a secret.

I'll say one of the same things I said in my review of the Green Glass Sea:

The book portrays what life was like to live in a secret army settlement. While many fiction stories take place in fictional places that can't be found on a real map, this one is ironically the opposite. It takes place in a real place that couldn't be found on a map at the time because the location was secret. However, it's neat that I can now find these real places on Google maps. It only shows the places as they are in the 21st century, not what it looked like back then.

Content considerations for The Gadget: the main character is dishonest and disrespectful to his dad. However, it does come back to him and he presumably learns from it. There's one instance of a scientist taking the Lord's name in vain and some soldiers being overheard as they're talking about pin up girls. (That's as much as is said.) Overall, a pretty clean book, better than the Green Glass Sea in that regard.

Fascinating point:
Mr. Nagavatsky, who is a local Russian, said something very interesting. He was lucky that the US and USSR were friends. If he were from Germany or Japan, he could be in an internment camp, but being from a country that's an ally, he's trusted. Wow. That's such an interesting thing to say in the 1940s since Americans weren't too trusting of Soviets in the later decades of the 20th century.

[Asher Larco · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a boy named Stephen who goes to Los Almos to live with his father after a bomb hits his apartment in London. It is nearing the end of world war two, and his father is working on the Manhattan project. Everyone at the base keeps it a secret, but Stephen and his new found friend are intent on finding the secret. This book takes you on an exciting adventure of plot twists. The plotline is well made, and the setting was well made. What I did not like, however, was that the author did not go in depth about many parts of the story that should have been further developed. This led to Paul Zindel not developing the characters very strongly. I would not recommend this book to someone past seventh grade, due to the fact that the book is quite clear and explanatory at times. I like books that make you think about what you are reading and this book was not one of those. I was not a huge fan of this book, however considering the length of the book and the information and dates you learn about WW2, it is a book worth reading.

[Elizabeth Barter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm reading this book as an adult, but having said that, I believe this novel was an important story for a young person to understand the history of The A-Bomb. And what people went through to bring about that weapon and it's impact on the generations to follow. Paul Zindel has been writing about the human condition since the sixties, this is the first time I came across a historic novel written by this beloved writer.It's worth it for an adult to go back and read a favourite Y.A. writer, for no other reason than to share him or her with your son or daughter. 'The Gadget' is a novel , that should be read with family.

[Brady · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Gadget” by Paul Zindel showed a 13 boy named Stephen witness the making of an atomic bomb.Stephen had to live with his father after his apartment got bombed from an invasion the Japanese.One day when Stephen an and his father were eating diner his dad suddenly left saying that he and other people are working on something that could win them the war. Stephen became very suspicious and he looked further into what his father was working on with his friend Tilanov and he found out that his father was working on making a bomb.He was scared that he has trusted the wrong person with information about the bomb and a lot of Americans could be in danger

[Oscar · Rating 2 out of 5]

The gadget written by Paul Zindel is an action-packed book. It is about a small boy called Stephen who was from England, London but had to move to las almos because of world war ll.

The story was okay. It would have been more interesting for me if they added more descriptive language and said how Hitler committed suicide. At the start, i didn't really make sense for me because it's about a boy called Stephen and some other boy that we haven't heard of in the rest of the story.

I think that this story will fit people who like war and action movies and stories. I will rate this book 2 out of 5. This story doesn't fit me because I didn't understand it and I'm not really a fan of war.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is okay. The writing quality is good and easy to read, in addition to being well researched. However, the story is very simple and somewhat predictable. While the book does touch on serious themes related to war, betrayal, and death it generally glosses over them or just superficially addresses them. Finally, while the book constantly tells you where everything is taking place, descriptions of the locations are fairly weak, which makes the book seem like it could be taking place anywhere at anytime, rather than at Los Alamos during World War II. This book is easy to read and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a quick read, but not for anyone with an interest World War II.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

23 Years ago, I was in 4th grade with a book report due the following day. I had read nothing, and was completely unprepared. I didn't really love reading (Aside from Captain Underpants). My parents took me to Walmart to pick up ANYTHING so that I wouldn't get a zero on the project. Lo and behold, it was there that we found "The Gadget". For the first time, I was hooked. I read it that night, aced the project, and proceeded to find and read everything Zindel wrote. RIP to a hero of writing, and to the man who gave me my favorite hobby. Read this book!

[Corey Thuringer · Rating 4 out of 5]

a fiction/history adjacent book. Provides insight of ww2 and secrecy through the eyes of a child. then the moral dilemma of developing and using the atomic bomb. which was very interesting. It also gave me some things to look up about Los Alamos. I give it a 3.8/5.

the book is very short and I'm a slow reader.

[Lena Riemersma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Near the end of WWII, scientists are working on a secret project that will change the outcome of the was. The thirteen year old son of one of the physicists tries to unveil the secrecy and danger. Good analogy of child-like innocence playing grown-up war games.

[Lucy Briggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Children want friends, and it’s often hard for parents to prevent these friendships.
Interesting setting and you can understand why each father did what they did. We may like it, but choices aren’t always so simple.

[Janie R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome story! Though this book was fiction, it did have a lot of events that actually took place during the making of the atomic bomb. I learned a lot here in this book,more than I ever did, during history classes, lol.

[Nyal Goforth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engaging read.

I first read this book when I was 11. It was fun to go back and read it almost 20 years later and remember the weight of this book as it relates to a young persons veiw of the world and it strife.

[Jamie Flick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was a good book in the terms of learning about how the bombs were created. And the main plot twist at the end had me yelling. Who would do that to a friend??!! Good history book to get more insight.

[Rashed Al]

not soo much

[Jordan]

Another really interesting book and very fun to read but there were about 40 pages where I feel like the story wasn't moving at all.

[ʀᴀᴠᴇɴ ★ · Rating 3 out of 5]

i read this a few times. still makes me wonder about what the gadget actually is.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was awesome! It is a real page turner!!!
The story has a great twisting plot ( especially at the end). It builds up to all of it perfectly.

[Troy Fanton]

6 Copies

[Steve Shilstone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read and well researched. Many characters woefully underdeveloped.

[Terron · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Gadget Book Review
Terron Robey

In the book, The Gadget, written by Paul Zindel, a remarkable story is told about the life of a teenage boy in the early 1940s. Steven, thirteen years old at the tim, moves away from his family in rough WWII effected Europe to an almost uncharted town near Los Alamos, New Mexico, with his father who is a physicist. His father is working on top secret project for the United States government to not only assist in the ending of World War II, but complete it. This action-filled adventure will keep you guessing until the end. What is the big project his father is working on? Who can he trust? Who will survive the extremely dangerous and lucrative war effort? Anyone who has ever asked too many questions, or wandered about American history, will be entertained until the very end.

I personally really enjoyed this book. I've always been interested in World War II history. The SS, The Nazi Party, Nuclear Fission, Berlin, Europe, and post-WWII Japan, have always been remembered as the beginning and ending key elements of WWII and play a huge part in this book. I asked a few questions while reading, which all have their own interesting answers. A lot of action and suspense are showed in this masterpiece of the ending of WWII that is accompanied with shocking mystery.

In the book, The Gadget, author Paul Zindel tells a realistic fictional story about a thirteen year-old boy named Steven Orr, who lives in early 1940's London, England. After Steven's brother Jackson dies from airplane bombings over their house, his mother father decide that it would be best if he moved with his father to his new job. His father, who is a physicist, is assigned to a top secret project, with other talented scientists near Los Alamos, New Mexico, involving the nuclear bomb that will hopefully end the war. Once Steven arrives, he soon realizes how lucrative this could be for the USA and how they have kept it so secret. The houses, everyone must have an individual P.O. Box address where they can pick up mail and other belongings. Steven is actually treated more special than others by the workers, soldiers, and guards because he resides in “Bathtub Row”, which is where all the doctors and scientists live. On his first day of school, he meets a young man just a few years older than him named Alexei. Alexei lives off the base a few hundred yards away but still attends base activities because his father supplies guard dogs to the guards at the base. Alexei and Steven quickly become best friends on and off base, with nothing else to do. But, Steven's maid Sonya does not trust Alexei because he is Russian, many foreigners were questioned as spies during this time.

Paul Zindel has written other works that consist of action with mystery behind it to keep the reader guessing until the end. The author's purpose behind this masterpiece is to tell the life of a teenage boy in WWII and inform us on key events and the important individuals that led to the ending of WWII. Many children had to make sacrifices and hard decisions in the 1940s because of the war. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a very interesting story, and learn more about American history in a short, fast-paced amount of time.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is an incredibly easy read, but still fairly well written. There was nothing wrong with it, exactly; I just felt there was nothing in it to be wrong.

The story takes place on in Los Alamos, New Mexico while a group of scientists are making the atomic bomb. Stephen, the protagonist, is living with his father, a physicist, on a top-secret military base. Along with his Russian friend Alexei (does that set alarm bells off for no one else?), he begins to do what he is best at and snoops around, trying to find out what the scientists are building. It is known only to the boys as "The Gadget".

Near the beginning of the story, one of the men working on The Gadget needs to be hospitalized, alerting the boys to the danger of this project. When they find him in the hospital, he makes little sense, but gives Stephen a pair of almost opaque sunglasses saying, "You need them more than I do." You'd think they'd play a really important role, right? Wrong. They're used once. And people without the sunglasses seem just fine.

I felt that the characters were quite under-developed and that the plot left much to be desired. I spent the whole book waiting for something to happen, the something happened twenty pages before the end and then everything magically seemed to resolve itself. I felt that not everything tied up perfectly at the end, and I was left wondering. Not in the good way. In the "I think the author forgot to write the last ten pages of the book" way. I honestly thought that the most interesting part of the book was after it had ended and there were some pages with trivia on WWII.

If you're looking for a quick, easy read, go for it, but maybe it might be more enjoyable for someone a bit younger.

[Phoebe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spare writing and plenty of intrigue and action make this a quick read for reluctant readers. Stephen and his mother are living with relatives in London while his scientist father is in New Mexico helping with a top-secret project for the war. When tragedy strikes Stephen's cousin, and gets a little too close to Stephen, his parents decide that he should go to join his father. Stephen has a hard time adjusting to life at the Los Alamos base, especially since no one will tell him what's going on, and his father is worn and thin and stressed. His friendship with Alexei seems to help, and the two boys do everything together, including traveling out to the desert after a convoy of scientists and trucks. What the boys see there will shock and terrify them. Zindel skims over plenty of detail in the interest of getting his main plot points across, and this sketchiness may bother some readers. However, for an historical fiction assignment (and at a good length, just over 150 pages) this book will be an acceptable option. 6th grade and up.

[Dilan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book Gadget is about a boy name Stephen who has a best friend named Alexei. This book takes place between world war II and the Holocaust. When Stephen and Alexei play in their roof the Germans attack with bombs so Stephen survives and Alexei doesn't pay attention to what Stephen says so Alexei dies. Stephens dad is a high leveled scientist so he goes to New Mexico to try to create something to stop Hitler.


I made a text-to-self connection. I am somewhat like Stephen. I like to explore around with everything. If my dad was like Stephens dad and i was there in New Mexico i would explore everything and do crazy stuff.


I gave this book 3 stars. I didn't really like this book but i didn't hate it. It was alright. It just got me off the book sometimes. Everytime i would read the book i just spaced out.

[Brent Vincent · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember reading this book when I was younger. I was incredibly interested in the creation of the atomic bomb, and this seemed like the perfect book. Reading it again it's not quite perfect, but it is still a great book on the subject for young readers. Having the viewpoint be that of a young boy helps keep things focused. The only thing that bothered me was that at times it felt like the child characters were simply used as a mouthpiece for the author and his thoughts. Now this is true of all characters, but at times it felt blatant and this bothered me. I feel it could have been handled better. Other than that it is a fine little novel. It has points of action, mystery, and drama and it easily keeps the reader's interest to the end. It also keeps things brief and straightforward in a good way. Not my absolute favorite from childhood, but a good book nonetheless.

[Sandra Strange · Rating 3 out of 5]

Near the end of World War II Stephen Orr sees his British cousin killed before his eyes during the Blitz, then goes home to the US where it is safer living with his physicist dad, who is working on a top secret project in New Mexico. A spy story, a moral tale and factual history mix in this tale of the development of the atom bomb and its personal toll on scientists working on it. The novel presents both sides of the moral dilemma, the modern “politically correct” indictment of the decision, plus the rationale behind using the bomb, with the former weighted only a little more heavily (ending sentence: “....the dust rising as the trucks headed off the mesa on their way to end a war.” Fairly positive.

[Yana · Rating 3 out of 5]

The setting of this book takes place during the end of World War II in Los Alamos, New Mexico and is about a thirteen-year old boy named Stephen Orr who moves into a top-seceret military base with his father. His father, being one of the physicists builing "the bomb". Stephen learns about the risks the scientists go through and plans to find out what The Gadget is capable of doing.Teaming up with his friend Tilanov he finds out more than he expected.
I've read a lot of books on world wars but most of them have taken place in Europe. I think this was one book that showed me a differnet viewpoint on WWII. This is a really easy and fast book to read.