This is a high-interest nonfiction book that is so well written that even reluctant readers will be engaged.

Sheinkin always gives me exactly as much detail as I want out of history. This is all kind of breathtaking to read anyway - how we are all still here after the M.A.D. brinkmanship of the Cold War is baffling. I hope our luck continues to hold out in spite of ourselves.

Steve Sheinkin is my go to nonfiction writer for my middle school students. Just like all of his other books, I learned what was happening with Cuba and a Russia and everyone else but I felt like I was just reading a fictional story. He’s a great storyteller.

The Cold War is a period in history that my high school classes didn't cover very well. I needed this book when I was younger! Sheinkin is a wonderful author of riveting nonfiction books for teens and young adults, and this books is no exception. Sheinkin takes you on the wild ride from the beginnings of the Cold War through the Cuban Missile Crisis. I particularly appreciated how he connected the major events in the story (some of which I had heard about in history classes) and was able to show you how world leaders and common people alike were affected by each decision and action. This would be a great supplemental text in American and modern world history courses, as well as perfect pleasure reading for those who like suspense novels (the writing definitely has some similar feels as suspense).

Great Book! Great Author!
I look forward to more books by this author
His books should be mandatory reading in schools. I learned more from a few of his books then I did from most of my HS history classes - he brings history to life!

This was a good book overall. I knew some of the material so I skipped parts of it, but I did learn a few things and Iiked how it went in-depth about events, including quotes and emotions from the main characters.

Didn't capture my attention and engagement. Interested in trying it again though and hopefully it will take.

I found this book to be a very informative and interesting book. I recently started learning about the Cold War which is why I was interested in this book. It was well researched and so I would recommend it if you are interested in the Cold War.
The cover also attracted me to this book.

Fallout picks up where Steve Sheinkin's previous book Bomb left off. At the end of World War II the United States and the Soviet Union are the two greatest world powers, but we are on extreme ends of the political spectrum. This is the story of how the United States and the Soviet Union participated in an ever-increasing cold war filled with tension. The two counties begin an all-out competition to build more and more destructive bombs and conquer space. Throughout their battle spy planes fly above, armed submarines swim deep below, and undercover agents meet in the dead of night.

Meticulous well researched and immensely readable. It reads like a spy novel but everything is true. Sheinkin is able to make you understand why some very poor decisions were made when facing the very real terror of complete world destruction.

This was a fantastically informative book all about the Cold War. So much information was shared yet in a digestible way for upper middle grade/early YA readers. I as an adult reader learned many things in reading Fallout. The bulk of the book centers around the nuclear arms race after WWII and the potential catastrophic events that could have happened during the Cuban Missile Crisis in the 1960s. There was also information about Soviet/US spies as well as brief dialogue regarding the Berlin Wall. Very fascinating stuff if you ask me. I'm so glad Steve Sheinkin added this to his collection of nonfiction books for young readers.

Thoroughly enjoyed this middle-school non-fiction history of the Cold War. The title does not disappoint and used just the right amount of detail to bring that era to life. Readers are entertained, fascinated, and drawn through the angst of living under the threat of nuclear war. Sheinkin draws you into the context and connection of spies in New York, the 1960 U-2 incident, the Bay of Pigs, and Cuban Missile Crisis. Highly recommend for readers seeking to understand this period in US History. Now - to read some of his other books!

FALLOUT

This book focuses on events of the Cold War from about 1948-1963. The race between the two super powers, the USA and the USSR, for ever increasing military dominance and building bigger and better bombs was at its peak. Gathering information on each other’s progress was a major focus, competition intense.

Spying was at at premium. Russian spy Rudolf Abel infiltrated the US. Gary Powers flew reconnaissance missions over Russian in the U2. The Space Race expanded with cosmonaut Yuri Gagarian’s flight into outer space. Oleg Penkovski acted as a double agent gathering information while in the USSR and secretly passing it on to the British and the US.

And the divide between the superpowers grew involving other countries around the world. The Berlin Wall was erected in 1961. The Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis brought communism closer to the West. The threat of all out nuclear war became very real. Bomb shelters were built, duck and cover taught to school children, and stockpiling became common. Secret underground bunkers for elite leaders were constructed. Tensions were very high.

President John F. Kennedy and Soviet Leader Nitika Khrushchev maneuvered through these delicate times and this book presents many details of their internal and political struggles. Fidel Castro’s role as the Cuban leader is also examined.

The author has done a fantastic job of taking a period of time with many complex issues and turning it into a terrifically exciting read. It’s an excellent example of how history writing, done right, is every bit as exciting as the most fanciful thriller novel. It is extremely well researched with footnotes, quotations, maps and photographs.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Steve Sheinkin, and Roaring Brook Press (Holtzbrinck Publishing) for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Steve Sheinkin writes an incredible tale of intrigue, mystery, corruption and suspense that seems too crazy to be true in parts, but is a well-researched account of the events of a post WWII world in which the end of civilization was just a few minutes away more than once. For middle and high school students who are fascinated by the 20th century events that shaped our current political climate, this book will lay the foundation that makes it easier for them to understand how we got here. Sheinkin focuses on events and people both big and small. From a young paperboy who accidentally discovered how spies were passing along restricted information to showing how government leaders participated in showdowns that could have ended the world, readers will find themselves drawn into what seems like individual stories that actually tie together into a global effort to dominate world power. I began reading this story assuming that I already knew a lot of the details I would read, only to quickly discover that there were many people and side-stories that I was unfamiliar with which made the story either more relatable at times or even harder to believe. For readers who enjoy authors such as Neal Bascomb and Andrew Nagorski, this book will be one that keeps them wondering from the first paragraph to the last.

Sheinkin draws the reader in with his story-like narrative nonfiction and fast pace. Another great look at history told by Sheinkin that middle grades and adults can both enjoy.

How good is Steve Sheinkin you ask? I stayed up all night to finish Fallout because I had to find out how that whole Cuban Missile Crisis thing turned out…

I know.

All history teachers should just use his books instead of textbooks from now on. And yes, it would be good if we started teaching some 20th Century history to kids before 10th grade. And here is the nonfiction ticket that will engage readers of any age. A must-purchase.

Nonfiction book about the Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis. It is well researched. Has a ton of information in it. Plus a ton of footnotes and notes. It made me realize just how close to Nuclear War and devastation we actually were. Highly recommend if you are interested in this period of time.

Thanks to Netgalley for the Kindle Version of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I will admit that history is not my favorite subject but I do enjoy a good mystery and true crime and Steve Sheinkin's book Fallout offers a kid-friendly explanation of the events and machinations that went on behind the scenes during the Cold War.

The book opens with a story of a newspaper boy receiving some change as a tip and in a quirky twist of fate, discovers that one of the nickels has been hollowed out and contains a coded message. The quest to find out what it all meant was no easy task. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction and Sheinkin tells a tale that draws the reader into a net of espionage that spans from Russia to the United States and Canada.

I was mostly unfamiliar with this period of history as much of it took place before I was born or when I was a child. I read it out loud to my husband (who is a history enthusiast) and he even learned a few things! After finishing the book, he commented on how sobering it was that the world narrowly avoided destruction during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

If you are looking for a way to interest young people in history, I highly recommend grabbing a copy of Fallout. Exceedingly engaging and easy-to-understand, this could make a great read-aloud for ages 10 and up. History offers many lessons and hopefully. new generations can use a book like this to not only understand the past but avoid repeating its mistakes. This title would make a great addition to any public, school, or home library.

Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of Fallout from NetGalley for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.

A great fun read as the author takes the reader through some of the most critical and dangerous moments of the Cold War.

I've spent plenty of time reading books and watching documentaries on World War II. But, aside from a few spy novels, The Cold War has received less attention.

Fallout is a great title to give the story of how the Cuban Missile Crisis came to be as well as how it did not end up starting WWIII. This book is a great example of how nonfiction for children can truly shine. Instead of nonfiction reading like a long report, this title conveys the information through stories. Not only does that make it more compelling of a read, but it also makes the information more memorable.

Another excellent book from Steve Sheinkin! I absolutely love his writing and have had a couple of his books added to our curriculum. He is also a wonderful author visit if your school has the budget for such things. This book did a great job of layering the problems in the early Cold War with spies and saboteurs. It may not cover everything, but it is a wonderful introduction to the topic for students who might need a more engaging tale to get interested in history.