Johnny and the Bomb facts for kids
First edition
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| Author | Terry Pratchett |
|---|---|
| Original title | Johnny and the Bomb |
| Cover artist | Larry Rostant |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Johnny Maxwell Trilogy |
| Genre | Children's Literature, Science Fiction |
| Publisher | Doubleday (London) |
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Publication date
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1996 |
| Media type | book |
| Pages | 263 |
| ISBN | 0-385-40670-3 |
| OCLC | 37732352 |
| Preceded by | Johnny and the Dead |
Johnny and the Bomb is an exciting adventure book written by Terry Pratchett in 1996. It's the third story about a boy named Johnny Maxwell and his friends. This book explores the amazing and sometimes tricky world of time travel. It's part of the Johnny Maxwell Trilogy, which also includes Only You Can Save Mankind (1992) and Johnny and the Dead (1993).
The story is all about a surprising event during World War II. Johnny's quiet hometown, Blackbury, was hit by a bomb during an air raid. This bomb was actually meant for a factory in a different town. The book's title, Johnny and the Bomb, refers to this specific bomb, not to nuclear weapons.
Contents
Story Overview
Johnny Maxwell is a teenager who finds an old woman named Mrs. Tachyon near a cinema. He soon discovers that her shopping trolley is actually a time machine! Johnny and his friends travel back in time to their town, Blackbury, during The Blitz in 1941. Johnny has been thinking a lot about how Paradise Street was destroyed in a German air raid.
During their trip, one of Johnny's friends, Wobbler, gets left behind in 1941. When the group goes back to rescue him, Johnny tries to stop people from dying in the air raid. This leads to many unexpected changes in history.
Meet the Gang
Johnny Maxwell
Johnny is the main character of the story. He's a typical teenager who often finds himself in unusual situations.
Stephen 'Wobbler' Johnson
Wobbler is Johnny's best friend and a very important character. He's good with computers and loves technology. He wants to be a "nerd" but feels like he doesn't quite fit in with them. Wobbler often thinks Johnny is a bit crazy. In the book, Wobbler gets stuck in 1941 for a while. He even grows up to become a very rich person, known as Sir John. Luckily, he eventually returns safely to his own time.
Simon 'Bigmac' Wrigley
Bigmac is a friend of Johnny's who has asthma. He lives with his brother in a tall building in Blackbury. Bigmac is secretly very good at math, but he's a bit embarrassed about it. He's not a criminal, but he sometimes has a confusing idea of who owns cars.
Yo-less
Yo-less is a boy from the West Indies. Johnny gave him his nickname because he doesn't say "Yo!" His hobbies are quite varied, including Star Trek, watching trains, traditional Morris dancing, and playing brass band music. He finds it funny or annoying when people are surprised that a black kid has these "uncool" interests. If someone is truly racist towards him, he reacts with a calm but sharp anger, using sarcasm.
Kirsty
Kirsty is the only girl in the gang. She is very organized and knows exactly what she wants to do in life. She is very smart but isn't always great at understanding other people's feelings. She sees this as a flaw in others, not herself. Kirsty tries to help Johnny organize his life, but she doesn't realize he doesn't really want it organized. Johnny finds it easy to talk to her because she doesn't always listen closely.
Television Series Adaptation
In January 2006, the BBC created a three-part TV show based on Johnny and the Bomb. It starred George MacKay as Johnny, Zoë Wanamaker as Mrs. Tachyon, Frank Finlay as Johnny's granddad Tom, and Keith Barron as Sir Walter.
Book vs. TV Show Differences
There are some key differences between the book and the TV series:
- In the book, Johnny changes history so that no one dies in the Paradise Street bombing.
- However, in the TV show, the original history was that no one died. The gang accidentally changes this when they first travel to the past.
- In the new history created by the TV show, Simon (Bigmac) was put in the Tower of London for being a Nazi spy. He is later released.
- Also in the TV show's changed history, Johnny's grandmother was killed, which meant Johnny himself no longer existed! When Johnny met his own grandfather, he didn't recognize him. Luckily, his grandmother was saved because an alarm went off, and Johnny existed again.
- A smaller change is that Stephen (Wobbler) is called Walter in the TV series, and later becomes Sir Walter.
