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)

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