THE GREEN GLASS SEA

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Klages, Ellen. 2006. The Green Glass Sea. New York, NY: Viking. ISBN 0670061344

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Dewey Kerrigan is an eleven year old girl whose mother left her when she was a toddler and her grandmother can no longer take care of her when her dad is gone for work. Dewey moves to be with her father in Los Alamos, New Mexico, where scientists are working on a way to stop World War II. She is different than all of the other girls because she likes science, so she works on her projects to keep herself from being lonely while her father works long hours on the “gadget.” Soon though, her father is sent to Washington and she moves in with Suze, another girl in her grade. Dewey and Suze slowly develop a friendship that is forever cemented when Dewey’s father is killed. In the end, the development of the atomic bomb is complete and Dewey and Suze become “sisters.”

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Ellen Klages connects history and a personal story in a way that will capture many readers. By going back and forth between the characters of Dewey and Suze, readers are able to understand multiple points of view of Los Alamos during World War II. Facts about the town, are interwoven into the story and readers familiar with the history will have no trouble realizing that the “gadget” is the atomic bomb, readers who have never heard of Los Alamos will slowly start to realize what the “gadget” is as the story progresses. Klages is able to capture the many emotions that Dewey felt during her lonely period and the pride that the American people had of their country during the war. Klages also includes a list of books about Los Alamos at the end of the story.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Scott O’Dell Award Winner
Judy Lopez Memorial Award Winner
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Many readers will know as little about the true nature of the project as the girls do, so the gradual revelation of facts is especially effective, while those who already know about Los Alamos's historical significance will experience the story in a different, but equally powerful, way.”
BOOKLIST: “The novel occasionally gets mired down in detail, but the characters are exceptionally well drawn, and the compelling, unusual setting makes a great tie-in for history classes.”
5. CONNECTIONS
This is a book that should prompt discussion about the ethical issues of the atomic bomb and how it affected people in the US and other countries
This is a great book to tie into a WWII history lesson.
Other books related to WWII:
Heller, Joseph. Catch-22. ISBN 0684865130
Zollo, Burt. Prisoners. ISBN 0897335155
The Sequel to The Green Glass Sea:
Klages, Ellen. White Sands, Red Menace. ISBN 0670062359