Cover Image: Bomb (Graphic Novel)

Bomb (Graphic Novel)

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Member Reviews

This is another awesome Sheinkin novel that the middle-grade teens are really enjoying. We used this novel in our teen book club and we had a hearty discussion between the graphic novel and the print editions of this book. I can see it being used in classrooms.

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This is the graphic novel adaptation of the chapter book. I LOVE both. I am excited to have another nonfiction graphic novel to add to my classroom collection! This is the story of the atomic bomb: how it came to be and how it was decided to be dropped in Japan. While the chapter book goes into more details, this graphic novel provided compelling and detailed illustrations to enhance the history it portrays: you can see the conflicted expressions on soon to be turned Russian spies, you can see the horror on Oppe's face when the testing is successful, the cold and super death defying plight of the Norwegian team who sabotage a Nazi facility with heavy water. The beauty is in the details in this graphic novel.
The history has just enough facts to make kids go... did you know.... afterwards. I know I did. I walked around telling my family little facts that caught my eye while reading.

Highly recommend for the middle school classroom - great addition to any WWII units.

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I really enjoyed this graphic novel. This was well researched and informative. I think the graphic element added to the emotion of this book. Important to know about this history and this is a great introduction/overview.

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I’ve seen this book for a few years but not been interested in an reading it. However, when it was put in graphic novel format, I thought this would be the perfect time to give it a try. I’m glad I did. This starts out with us by telling us the story of how the atom bomb came to be. It goes over Oppenheimer ‘s life and other scientists, as well as how the secrets were given to the Soviets. This was much more digestible than the full book. Tt was not only educational, but it was also interesting and kept the pages turning. I am glad to see that the publisher decided to put this out in graphic novel format to make the history approachable to more students.

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I loved this graphic novel. I had read the original text-based version of Bomb a few years ago and thought it was an amazingly well written book. It took a topic that is very complex, a little boring, and definitely sad if you stop and think about it at all and made it into a RIVITING read. The graphic novel does the exact same thing.

There were parts of the graphic novel that I don't even remember being in the first rendition of Bomb. While many people still associate graphic novels with silly meaningless comics, this book used the format amazingly well in order to explain complex scientific concepts and draw the reader into this multifaceted historical story.

This book will be a great way to engage people of all ages who are interested in learning the history of the atomic bomb but who aren't willing to sit down and read large amounts of text.

This book was a wonderful creation and I hope that more of Sheinkin's works get graphic novel adaptations.

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This book will be very popular in middle and high schools, making the original text more accessible through this graphic format. There is a lot of scientific information that might make this a tough read for many, but the overall narrative was easy enough to follow. I enjoyed learning more about the atomic bomb and its creation, and even the ambivalence of its creator. Even knowing what would happen, it was still a suspenseful read. I would recommend for 6th grade+.

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I've been wanting to pick up Sheinkin's original narrative nonfiction book, Bomb, for quite some time. I'm glad I was able to learn the story through graphic novel format, and I know this will reach a whole new audience of readers. This book took a very complex topic and presented it in a way that summarized while still detailing.

The story is told in alternating perspectives of spy interrogation in the 1950s while flashing back to the creation of atomic bombs throughout 1940s. There was incredibly intense material, including the dropping of the bombs in Japan, but everything was shared in an age appropriate way. This would be a great way to introduce students to the basics of the a-bomb's history and the beginnings of the Cold War and Arms Race. I'm interested in now trying the chapter book to see what more information was included.

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I truly wanted to love this novel. I really enjoy reading about World War II and I love graphic novels, but this novel was tough for me to get through. I ended up putting it in my "not for now" pile. It was a semi-frustrating read because I felt like the book was based on science that I didn't fully comprehend let alone a middle school student.

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Way to keep on the path of the original story while bringing it to the graphic novel format! This one still kept the simplicity of who the audience is for the book but still explaining the complex connections between the scientists and politicians as well as the ethics (which was definitely a strong point of the original book) for the "creators" of the atomic bomb.

I like that there were panels and pages with just movement and no dialogue or narration to demonstrate all the pieces that came together. This adaptation is wonderfully done and has a tone that works for a war-time graphic novel and the discovery/creation of the atomic bomb.

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Thank you #NetGalley for sending this digital book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Talk about history I never knew. This was very interesting and don't be fooled by the graphic novel still packed with technical and specific information that didn't feel overwhelming or boring. I have several copies of BOMB in my classroom library and have yet to get a student to read it but this would be the perfect way to get students engaged in a way the feels more accessible to them. I could see this as being a gateway to get kids interested in non-fiction books more especially at the middle school level. Definitely will be getting a copy for my classroom library

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I love Bomb and Steve Sheinkin's other books. He is able to write narrative nonfiction in a way that is so compelling and interesting and I am always eager to learn more about history in his well-written books. With the Christopher Nolan Oppenheimer movie coming out this year, I think that conversations about what really happened at Los Alamos will be in the zeitgeist again, and I'm excited to have this book to share with young readers.

I also like the graphic novel approach here -- I think this serves as a good introduction point to the longer narrative nonfiction books and, in my opinion, the tone of the graphic panels matches the text perfectly. I am sure I'll be recommending this book often throughout the coming year!

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An interesting take on a true historical event put in graphic form. Lots of facts provided, a bit wordy but any history buff would love this. Illustrations went well with the written word. This would be a good book for struggling readers. Anyone who is interested in nuclear physics and science would enjoy this graphic novel. There were many characters, which sometimes became confusing. Lots of names/jobs to keep track. History buffs would enjoy this GN

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Thank you Net Galley for the advance copy for review.

While I am a huge fan of Steve Sheinkin's work, this book fell flat for me. While it makes the history of the atomic bomb accessible for even the most reluctant teens, I found the narritive hard to follow at times. This story worked much better in novel form. Also, the letter U in the text looked like an L and I. I found myself having to reread alot which was frustrating.

Even with the criticisms I can still see middle and high school readers enjoying this graphic novel.

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Bomb in it's original format was already such an amazing book that I couldn't wait to read the graphic adaptation. The thing that I love about this book (in both formats) is that it breaks down such a complex topic into manageable pieces that anyone can understand. I first read the original as an adult and was absolutely thrilled that I, someone not very scientifically minded, understand the basics of the science behind atomic weapons! I think Steven Sheinkin does a fabulous job blending the science, the atmosphere, the timeline, and the various vantage points of view of this historical moment. I personally preferred the original edition, but I'm so excited to get this graphic edition in the hands of my graphic-obsessed students. They will eat this up!

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I am not a fan of historical books, but this is one of the required reading for a lot of middle school students and I wanted to see what they were doing with the graphic novel and I think this will be a very valuable edition for students who don't enjoy reading traditional books. The art is cute, the story is the same.

3 stars

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Steve Sheinkin's award-winning story about the atomic bomb is soon to be available in graphic novel form. The story of the race to make the atomic bomb, the espionage taking place during the construction of the bomb, and the aftermath makes for a fascinating read.

This is a great introduction to the subject for youth who enjoy history or adventure. The juxtaposition between the making of the bomb in the 1940's and a captured spy giving up the details of passing information to the Russians in the 1950's was a fun read.

What I didn't appreciate about the book was how much smoking was shown in the pages. I get that it's historically accurate, but it added nothing to the story except to normalize smoking, which really bothered me. I also found the font challenging to read. The letter U looked exactly like the L and I when they were together (bad kerning) and I had to stop a few times. This was an Advanced Reader's Copy so I'm really hoping those two things change before publication on January 23, 2023.

Three stars with the problematic bits, 4 stars if it gets fixed.

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An interesting graphic novel that can be used to grab students' attention prior to reading "The Race to Build and Steal the World's Most Dangerous Weapon". Ideal for reluctant readers.

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Bomb, based on Steve Sheinkin's Bomb: The Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon, translates well into graphic format. The illustrations aid the reader in understanding some of the complexities of nuclear physics and how the scientists unlocked the potential of nuclear reactions. I would recommend this for high school libraries and middle school libraries where there is a strong interest in World War II texts.

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The graphic novel #Bomb by #SteveSheinkin was one of the most engaging graphic novels I've read in a while. It combines science and history in a rich storytelling manner. It provides multiple perspectives to overlay a larger picture of the United States' development and use of the atomic bomb. While not every perspective could be covered, it does a good job of examining the complexity of the topic in a way that will be accessible to a high school audience and older. I recommend it for all libraries that serve teens. Many thanks to the publishers and #NetGalley for the ARC.

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This is a fantastic graphic novel adaptation of The Bomb. The illustrations are fitting with the time period and do not make light of the seriousness of the topic. This adaptation makes this work accessible to a wider audience. Highly recommended for all young adult collections.

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