Seventeen-year-old Eleanor is nothing like her hero Eleanor Roosevelt. She is timid and altogether 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 maths 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. The 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.
About the Author :
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.
Review :
Praise for Trajectory:
A Sydney Taylor Honor Book
"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 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.
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
