(2) YA At the onset of World War II, German U-boats (submarines) mercilessly sank the military and civilian ships of the Allies, making transatlantic travel a risky endeavor. Americans living abroad had to weigh the risks of remaining in German-occupied territories against the treacherous weeks-long voyage back home. U-boat attacks were unrelenting until late in the war when advances in microwave radar detection allowed the Allies to pinpoint their locations, rendering them virtually useless. As the title suggests, this book divides its focus between the heart-wrenching story of survivors of the torpedoed SS West Lashaway awaiting rescue on a small wooden raft in shark-infested waters and a concise and highly readable history of the science of electromagnetic fields. Beginning with discoveries in the eighteenth century, Lantos provides background on each advancement in the science as well as biographical information about the scientists involved, finally introducing the American military scientists and engineers who figured out how to use microwaves to precisely locate distant objects. He ups the tension by alternating the harrowing experience of the shipwreck survivors with development of the radar equipment that was critical to both their rescue and the Allied victory in WWII. This page-turning account, with archival images and occasional chapter-opening illustrations (by Alan Marks), provides equal parts suspense and wonder for readers of history and science alike. Appended with thorough source notes, a bibliography, and an index.

Reviewer: Eric Carpenter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(2) YA Since its publication in 1860, Longfellow's "Paul Revere's Ride" has been for many the definitive account of the beginnings of the Revolutionary War. In deconstructing the poem, Lantos points out numerous errors that exclude individuals (William Dawes), organizations (the patriots' sophisticated community warning system), and events (the Battle of Lexington) that also figure in the history. The question here is whether or not these omissions were the result of Longfellow's literary license in tightening the narrative or a more deliberate effort to create a theme of individual heroism. Lantos's conversational voice allows his enthusiasm for the subject to shine as he adds details (perhaps a few too many, such as the lineage of those who fought at Lexington); colorful asides (the padding that muffled the oars used in rowing Revere across the Charles River came from the petticoat of a young lady); and corrections to Longfellow's historical record (it was Dr. Samuel Prescott, not Revere, who actually reached Concord). When Lantos gets to the "why"s behind these errors, he notes the date of the poem's ­publication, the crisis facing a nation on the verge of civil war, and ­Longfellow's fierce opposition to slavery; he then posits that Longfellow's near-deification of Revere deliberately gave abolitionists a model of one man with strong beliefs changing the course of history. A thoughtful ­proposition and account, appended with detailed documentation and a ­bibliography.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2021