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Summary
Summary
Perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah and Sharon Cameron, this is the stirring and dramatic story of one young woman who must find a way to overcome her deepest fears in order to unlock the secret that will help America and the Allies to victory as World War II rages on.
Seventeen-year-old Eleanor is nothing like her hero Eleanor Roosevelt. She is timid and all together uncertain that she has much to offer the world. And as World War II rages overseas, Eleanor is consumed with worry for her Jewish relatives in Europe. When a chance encounter proves her to be a one-in-a-generation math whiz--a fact she has worked hard all her life to hide--Eleanor gets recruited by the US Army and entrusted with the ultimate challenge: to fine-tune a top-secret weapon that will help America defeat its enemies in World War II and secure the world's freedom. This could be her chance to help save her family in Poland.
Soon, she's swept from the basement of an Ivy League engineering school, to the desert of California, to an Army Air Corps base at Pearl Harbor, and finally she takes to the skies above the South Pacific.
But before she can solve this complicated problem, she must learn to unlock a bigger mystery: herself.
Critically acclaimed author of The Poetry of Secrets , Cambria Gordon weaves an extraordinary story of remarkable courage and the will to unearth our deepest secrets, based on previously undiscovered true events.
Advance praise for Trajectory :
"Cambria Gordon's careful attention to setting and detail brings an unknown and surprising history vividly to life--and draws thought-provoking parallels to the present." --Amanda McCrina, author of Traitor and The Silent Unseen
" Hidden Figures meets Code Name Verity in Trajectory , a richly detailed historical novel about Eleanor, a gifted female mathematician under pressure to get the results of her calculations right at the height of World War II. With members of her own Jewish family suffering a terrible fate in Europe, Eleanor is determined to make a difference--even if it means facing her fears head-on. I couldn't put this down!" --Kip Wilson, award-winning author of White Rose and The Most Dazzling Girl in Berlin
"Well-paced and immersive, Trajectory takes readers on an exciting journey from Philadelphia to the California desert to the skies over the Pacific theater in the Second World War. Equally powerful is Eleanor's journey from timid high school senior hiding her math ability to problem solver unafraid to stand up to superiors and skeptics in pursuit of the Allies' victory. Gordon's novel honors the long-ignored women who helped make that victory happen." --Lyn Miller-Lachmann, author of Torch , winner of the 2023 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for YA Literature.
Author Notes
Cambria Gordon is the author of The Poetry of Secrets , which Ruta Sepetys called an "epic, poetic journey," and coauthor of the award-winning The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming , winner of the National Green Earth Book Award. Cambria has written for Los Angeles Times Magazine , Boys' Life , Parent Guide News , and The Jewish Journal of Los Angeles. She lives in LA with her husband and youngest son, and as close as possible to her two adult children, without annoying them.
Reviews (2)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 6 Up--This novel opens with peppy song lyrics, artfully changed to include mathematical terminology. That's this book in a nutshell: a deftly handled story, presenting intense military and mathematical strategy in a digestible way. It's the tale of 17-year-old Eleanor Schiff, a fictionalized version of the real women used to compute missile ballistics during World War II. She's a young Jewish American woman used to hiding her math skills, out of guilt for an unfortunate family tragedy. The army discovers her gifts and recruits her, sending Eleanor on a cross-country journey of undercover math. Her journeys reveal how people can go about their normal lives, even with atrocities happening around them. There's also no timidness about the raw underbelly of American bigotry against just about everyone. Eleanor squirms at casual racism against German Americans, fights against her Black coworker's mistreatment, and startles at hate speech from soldiers. One of her friends points out that, "fighting words are becoming acceptable. Normalized, even." Readers may find that sounds eerily similar to the present. But Eleanor's story shows what can happen when a single person perseveres. Thrillingly paced, this novel not only makes math exciting but also connects the past to today while urging for constant progression. VERDICT A fast-paced journey through STEM and WWII history.--Cat McCarrey
Kirkus Review
Seventeen-year-old Eleanor is recruited for her math prowess to support U.S. efforts during World War II. It's 1942, and Eleanor, who's Jewish, lives with her family in Jenkintown, just outside Philadelphia. The Schiffs anxiously await news from abroad about the Nazis, Jewish ghettos, and the fate of family members in Poland. Following her participation in MathMeet, a competition for Pennsylvania high schoolers, Eleanor is recruited for the top-secret Philadelphia Computing Section of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps. Like her math professor father, who's been disabled by a stroke, Eleanor has long had a gift and passion for math; she quickly sets herself apart from the rest of the group. Eventually, she's even selected to go to an army air base in the California desert for a classified assignment involving a new bombsight called the Norden. Gordon anchors this work of fiction, which includes equations and models, in many real historical elements. Alyce, Eleanor's new friend at the PCS and the only Black woman on the team, is a kindred spirit. Gordon explores segregation in military and civilian life, the Japanese American internment, sexism, and the Holocaust in ways that are historically accurate and appropriately horrifying. Eleanor starts off unsure and unnoticed but slowly, believably blossoms in self-confidence; the supporting characters are also well drawn and likable. The plot moves quickly, and the brisk pacing will keep readers turning pages. Compelling, fast-paced historical fiction. (image credits, author's note) (Historical fiction. 12-16) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
