A book that simplifies all about the Manhattan Project, and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with large photos and just a short paragraph for most of the spreads. It doesn't mean it's fully readable, mind, with all the captions, box-outs and extra bits, but it is a suitable text that doesn't make it too juvenile so as to demean the topic or the survivors. The level of understanding it easily gives will actually do the reverse. What it also does is prove that this subject deserves such a young read, and a place alongside the other key historical events covered elsewhere in this series. A strong four stars.

This is a very good informational text for 3rd-5th graders which tells a very surface description of the events that occurred between the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Manhattan project is described, as well as the U.S. attitudes that changed over time in response to the bombs.

The book also discusses other countires that have developed nuclear bombs, and pacts that have been signed as to whether to use or test. This will inspire further learning on these topics, I am sure. I recommend this book for homeschoolers, schools, and libraries.

My 9 year old is obsessed with everything WWII related and he gave this book 2 thumbs up. He loved the pictures and thought the glossary was a good addition. I liked the comprehension questions at the end and used them to lead our conversation about what we’d read.

1. Goodreads
2. Review posted on 1 May 2025

Overall: This is a nonfiction historical book lightly covering the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The goal of the Turning Points in History series is to provide: “exciting, high-interest content attracts and holds readers’ attention.” Overall I think this could be high interest content for children. It is meant for Reading Level: Grades 3–4 and Interest Level: Grades 3–9. After reading I would say grade 3 is too young for this content; although, if you have a mature third grader then perhaps it would work for you. Their assessment of the proper age group is pretty accurate.

Pros:
+ The vocabulary is challenging, but they have a good glossary and spotlight sections to help.
+ Timeline in the back of the book is detailed and helpful.
+ Comprehension questions range from easy vocabulary questions to more difficult philosophical questions.
+ They provide resources (albeit a small list) for students to find more information on the topic.
+ I personally really liked the range from history (1940s) to modern day monuments, rallies, and survivor stories. It helped to provide a fuller picture of the effects of the bombings. Although it would be helpful to include in the Still a Threat section something about Russia being modern day Soviet Union and that is why they have so many nuclear bombs.
+ Throughout the book they define words and do a good job of referencing them later to reinforce the learned vocabulary.
+ Plenty of photos throughout the book.
+ The author did a good job of showing the dilemma of President Truman: save US troop lives by forcing Japan’s hand, or kill so many Japanese people and become monsters.

Cons:
- It is very annoying how the book flows randomly. As an adult I can slightly understand perhaps trying to “hook” the students’ interest, but it is at the cost of recalling events all out of order. They provide a timeline at the end of the book that can clarify the proper timeline, but I don’t think it is that helpful if the child hears the history all out of order in the first place.
- They randomly include facts without any context that as an adult made me confused. For example, in chapter 2 they say, “The Battle of Midway in 1942 was a major US victory in the Pacific.” Was I supposed to know what this battle was? Did I miss a spotlight or something? It happened multiple times throughout the book.
- They have a lot of words that are difficult for this age group to read since they are in different languages like“Hiroshima”. It would have been nice to have some pronunciation help like “Hiroshima (HEE-roh-SHEE-mah).
- Chapter 5 covered Nagasaki bombings with pictures. One of the photos is of burns on a person. It is a mild photo compared to a lot of the injuries people suffered. I can understand them wanting to include this, but for a third grader this may cause nightmares.
- In the dropping leaflets part, they said, “In the summer of 1945, US planes flew over Japanese cities. They dropped leaflets. The leaflets said attacks were likely. But they did not talk about nuclear bombs.” It seems harmless, but I think it would be very important to tell students that nuclear bombs would not have been something that the Japanese public would understand. It was a new and unprecedented technology. This passage implies that America should have told them, when America told them as much as they would understand.

Would I recommend? Yes
Rating: 8/10