Praise for Trajectory:
"Thrillingly paced, this novel not only makes math exciting but also connects the past to today while urging for constant progression...A fast-paced journey through STEM and WWII history." School Library Journal
"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." Kirkus Reviews
"The story is fast-paced, and the characters are substantive, believable, and likeable. Recommended for readers ages 12 and up who enjoy WWII history, women's history, military history, or just a plain good story." Historical Novel Society
"Cambria Gordon's careful attention to setting and detail brings an unknown and surprising history vividly to lifeand 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.
Praise for The Poetry of Secrets:
"An epic, poetic journey. Brimming with romance and historical detail." Ruta Sepetys, New York Times bestselling author of Salt to the Sea
"Set in the Spanish town of Trujillo during the early years of the Spanish Inquisition, Gordon’s absorbing fiction debut focuses on Jewish individuals pretending to be newly converted Christians in order to avoid persecution. Supported by extensive back material, the book movingly explores this history of religious intolerance." Publishers Weekly
"An ambitious epic of the Spanish Inquisition seen through the eyes of a rebellious young woman whose Jewish family faces persecution and death." School Library Journal
"A charming Jewish love story set against the bleak backdrop of the Spanish Inquisition." Kirkus Reviews
04/01/2024
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
2024-02-03
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)