About the Author

Paul Zindel (1936-2003) was born and raised on Staten Island in New York. After teaching high school science for several years, he decided to pursue a career as a playwright. His first play, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Shortly thereafter, he wrote his first novel for young adults, The Pigman, which has gone on to sell millions of copies. Mr. Zindel wrote more than fifty books over the course of his life, including the popular My Darling, My Hamburger; The Pigman's Legacy, a sequel to The Pigman; and the autobiographical The Pigman and Me.

Reviews

?Fast-paced and thought-provoking?.cleverly intertwining fiction and fact, [Zindel's] distinctly atmospheric tale breathes life into an exceptional moment in American history.?--"Kirkus Reviews""[A] fast-paced, irresistibly involving suspense novel....This exciting story provides a graphic, first-person view of the Manhattan Project."--"Booklist""In Stephen, Zindel combines a canny mix of innocence and intelligence?Readers will comes away from this story with much food for thought."--"Publishers Weekly" Starred Review"Zindel's attention to historical accuracy is evident thoughout....This book is an exciting introduction to the time period."--"School Library Journal""Young adults will be caught up in Stephen's exciting adventures. . . . A good complement to discussions of the bomb and studies of WWII."KLIATT