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The Green Glass Sea (Green Glass #1)

4.03 of 5 stars 4.03 · rating details · 2,661 ratings · 580 reviews

It is 1943, and 11-year-old Dewey Kerrigan is traveling west on a train to live with her scientist father—but no one, not her father nor the military guardians who accompany her, will tell her exactly where he is. When she reaches Los Alamos, New Mexico, she learns why: he's working on a top secret government program. Over the next few years, Dewey gets to know eminent sci...more

Hardcover, 324 pages

Published October 19th 2006 by Viking Juvenile

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The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

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Feb 03, 2009 Luann rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Luann by: Lisa Vegan

Shelves: odell-award, 2009, historical-fiction, young-adult, orphans, war, shelf-a-thon1, american-history, ms-rec

When I was in high school, I did an extra credit report on Oppenheimer, "Little Boy," and "Fat Man." It was all new to me, and so interesting and horrifying that I have always been very interested in that area of history. This is a work of historical fiction about the scientists who worked on the atomic bomb and their families. It is told from the point of view of the children, who were not given many details of the highly classified project and thus not many details make it into the story. The...more

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Dec 16, 2008 Lisa Vegan rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: highly to anyone who enjoys novels, to all 9 & up including adults

Shelves: fiction, orphaned-and-quasi-orphaned-kids, reviewed, favorites, childrens, novel, historical-fiction, young-adult

Some time needs to elapse for me to see if this book makes as much of an imprint on me as it now seems, but this is one I might consider for my favorites shelf.

In this novel everything so vivid: the feelings and thoughts and actions of the characters, the many descriptions of food, the train ride, the community, the terrain, the record albums, so much, all of it.

The author is a terrific storyteller, and this is a perfectly crafted book.

I loved the main character Dewey. In real life I would have...more

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Jun 01, 2012 Teresa Lukey rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-for-my-boys, great-youth-read, inspirational, made-me-cry, made-me-feel-good, must-share-with-friends, my-absolute-fav-s, i-learned-something, 5-stars

This story was unexpectedly enjoyable for me. I was vaguely aware of what it was about, but it was highly rated and I knew the story contained a young girl who loves math. Being a lover of math myself, I couldn't resist checking the audio version out from the library so my son could also enjoy it, which he did.

The story starts off with Dewey, a 10-year math and mechanics lover, on her way to being reunited with her father, who has been moved to Los Alamos to work on the "gadget" with a group of...more

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Feb 27, 2010 MissDziura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, miss-dziura-recommends

Ellen Klage's book is most approriate for readers in 7th and 8th grade, although 8th grade readers will probably understand the historical context more because WWII is part of the 8th grade history curriculum in most schools. Dewey is a likable chracter who has to uproot her life once again to meet her dad at "The Hill," (Los Alamos). Dewey's father is one of many scientists working on the gadget (the atomic bomb). The story is slow in parts but it becomes more about the frienship Dewey has with...more

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Dec 16, 2008 CLM rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrensbooks, orphans, historicalfiction, 20th-century, series, friendship

It was foolish of me to think reading one chapter late last night was a good idea. I read the whole book, and sobbed. It was late enough when I started. Sigh.

What an unusual topic, and how vividly depicted and beautifully written. I loved Dewey's interaction with real people, not overdone but very convincing. Lots of little touches were fascinating, as for instance, the difficulty applying to college from a school that didn't exist, or the casual description of a five cent package of Koolaid as...more

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Aug 20, 2008 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Dewey’s dad is a scientist and ever since WWII began, he’s been helping the government with a top secret project. When Dewey’s grandma has a stroke, she travels by herself to a secret military base in New Mexico. Even though she’s only ten years old, she has always liked math and science and making her own little projects from stray gears and nuts and bolts. Along with her leg brace and glasses, this makes her an easy target for other kids to pick on her.

At the new base where she lives with her...more

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Jul 16, 2008 Rachael rated it 3 of 5 stars

When I picked up this book, I was SO excited to read it because while I've read a lot of novels set during WWII, I've never really thought about the scientists (or their families) who worked on developing the "gadget." The unusual nature of the setting, and the "casting" of Dewey Kerrigan, a techie little girl who has spent so much of her childhood alone, really intrigued me. And there were aspects of this book that I liked, but given my anticipation, I was disappointed in this book.

Why? I thoug...more When I picked up this book, I was SO excited to read it because while I've read a lot of novels set during WWII, I've never really thought about the scientists (or their families) who worked on developing the "gadget." The unusual nature of the setting, and the "casting" of Dewey Kerrigan, a techie little girl who has spent so much of her childhood alone, really intrigued me. And there were aspects of this book that I liked, but given my anticipation, I was disappointed in this book.

Why? I thought the ending was way too ambiguous, with no real explanation of the aftermath of the bomb being dropped on Japan. In reality, this event changed the whole world! The book jacket says that Klages is working on a sequel-- will she deal with that, or skip ahead? I also thought it strange that in 3 places, Klages switches from writing in past tense to writing in present tense. Is there some deep meaning in that or is it just bad editing?

Additionally, it's just a personal preference of mine, but I didn't like that Dewey had to endure so much tragedy while Suze's life, though not perfect is not nearly so affected by the war. Dewey is such a likeable character, and I wanted her to have the happiness she deserved. Without giving too much away, Klages' handling of Dewey's emotional reaction to the biggest tragedy is sensitive and realistic, but the author really doesn't handle *any* of the legal or logistical/formal repercussions. To me, that hurt the credibility of the "plot twist."

I think this book is listed as YA, although the publisher lists it as for ages 9 and up. So as I read this, it was very striking how every adult in the book seems to smoke and/or drink alcohol on a regular basis. I've never noticed that so much in a children's or YA novel before. It felt jarring and strange, even if it fit the time period. Certainly my grandparents, who were close to the ages of the parents in this book, smoked and had their cocktails. But it just seemed really odd that so much attention was paid to it. Was she just trying to illustrate how stressed out all these scientists were?

Finally, it really irritated me how often Suze's parents took the Lord's name in vain. It just really didn't seem necessary to me.(less)

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Jul 11, 2008 Jess rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: caudill-09, historical-fiction, z_08, juniors

Dewey (11) lives in a town which can't be named. Her father, a scientist, works on a "gadget" (along with hundreds of others) that can't be discussed. Welcome to daily life in the Manhattan project.

Characters the reader can relate to with understandable and clear prose. Readers get the feel of what it's like for children living in Los Alamos while their parents build the Atom bomb.

Klages has a good grasp on what it's like to be a kid when it comes to: not being privy to information, the relation...more

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May 17, 2008 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars

Dewey Kerrigan, raised by her grandmother until she has a stroke and goes into a nursing home, is sent to live with her father is New Mexico. Los Alamos, New Mexico, in 1943: the place where chemists, physicists, and other scientists are working on creating the atomic bomb. All of this is shrouded in secrecy, and Dewey herself knows nothing of it. Her life is concerned with smaller things: having conversations with Enrico Fermi and Richard Feynman, bonding with a loving but overworked father, wo...more Dewey Kerrigan, raised by her grandmother until she has a stroke and goes into a nursing home, is sent to live with her father is New Mexico. Los Alamos, New Mexico, in 1943: the place where chemists, physicists, and other scientists are working on creating the atomic bomb. All of this is shrouded in secrecy, and Dewey herself knows nothing of it. Her life is concerned with smaller things: having conversations with Enrico Fermi and Richard Feynman, bonding with a loving but overworked father, working on projects with scrap metal and electronics. Then her father is sent away, to Washington, and Dewey is left with family friends and their daughter Suze. Deeply awkward around each other at first, Suze and Dewey slowly form a friendship.

Klages really gets what it’s like growing up as a nerd girl: the way adults can be easier to talk to than people your own age, the way one’s projects can be so fascinating that you don’t even care (that much…) when you’re unpopular, how Popular Mechanics is the most exciting magazine in existence, how great it is when you can share obscure knowledge with a friend like a secret code. I don’t know if I really believe the ending–it has one of those Big Misunderstandings I’m thoroughly sick of–but it’s such a warm and knowing picture of friendship and growing up, with the historical information woven in unobtrusively.

I think I like the book’s approach to the atomic bomb best of all. It’s not foregrounded at all. It’s top secret, and up until almost the end of the book, you only get vague rumors of a gadget that could end the war. But when it does show up, Klages doesn’t spend a lot of time arguing for and agaist the use of the atomic bomb. Dewey certainly doesn’t get to decide that. The scientists working on the bomb can argue about whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing, but ultimately, it’s out of their hands. Instead, Klage approaches it from three different perspectives–there’s the scientific perspective, and given Dewey’s fascination with science and engineering throughout the book, it’s easy to get caught up in this idea of– Wow! Science did this! And then there’s the political perspective, pro-ending the war as quickly as possible, with as little loss of (American) life as possible. Dewey is a child of her time, casual about using slurs against the Japanese. And finally, you just have to be floored with fear and trembling at the idea that human beings can obliterate each other on such a massive scale. The last chapter is wonderful when it comes to bringing all of these things together without hitting you over the head with them.

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Jun 20, 2008 Jenny rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a well-deserved award winning book for young adult historical fiction. It is set during WWII in Los Alamos, NM where the best scientists, mathematicians, and military brass are building the atom bomb. The interesting aspect is that the story is told from the point of view of the children of these very same scientists, etc. who have come to NM with their parents. Of course everything going on is secret. The live in a place that officially doesn't exist, they can't tell anyone about it, th...more

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Dec 24, 2008 Hedy rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really liked this book, but it is meant for kids a bit younger. The end is really sad, like Nicole told me, but it's great writing. The characters are SOO lovable. I really like Dewey. The only part I didn't like was that it was sort of easy reading for such a strong topic. Read it!! :D

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Mar 10, 2008 Sarah rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrens-fiction, historical

I really wanted to like this book. Really. Unfortunately, I didn't. The historical setting of Los Alamos was intriguing, but I had qualms with the plot and its predicatbility. It moved rather slowly for me and also didn't say enough about how devastating the Gadget was.

*spoiler*

I couldn't understand for the life of me why the Gadget's effects of creating the Green Glass Sea were supposed to be a fitting last connection between Dewey and her father. This turn of events didn't sit well with me a...more

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Mar 13, 2009 Karin rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009-caudill-nominees, historical-fiction, science, juvenile-fiction, gutsy-girls, manhattan-project, nuclear-bomb, 1940s, realistic, borrowed-from-the-library

This work of historical fiction tells the story of the Manhattan Project through the eyes of some of the children who might have experienced it by proxy as their parents (scientists affiliated with the project) worked on it in secret.

Dewey Kerrigan comes to live with her father in New Mexico when she is eleven. She’s small for her age and doesn’t fit in well with other kids. Also, one of her legs is longer than the other due to a childhood accident. She’s really smart, though, and fascinated by...more

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Nov 20, 2008 Jacquelyn Higgins rated it 5 of 5 stars

Genre: Historical fiction Reading level: Ages 9-12
Unusual friendships are formed in this legendary setting on the eve of destruction. Dewey, a bright adolescent girl, heads west to be with her father after her grandmother’s stroke. Dad is working at a top-secret location in Los Alamos, New Mexico, called “the Hill” by the residents. The war is coming to a close in Europe, but the eternal war in the classroom rages on in this cloistered group. Disabled as a toddler and gifted with the brain of an...more

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Mar 07, 2013 Mrrik Noubarentz rated it 2 of 5 stars

I chose this book because I needed a book for my reviews, and I was in a rush to find a good one, so I picked this because the title made it sound intresting. The story is about two people, Suze Gordon, and Dewey Kerrigan. It is about the war in the 1940's, and both of their parents are in a distant place with a sectret orginization that revolves aroung science. With all the commotion, Dewey's father must leave to an important mission, making Dewey a rommate with Suze, who strongly dislikes Dewe...more

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Jan 01, 2013 Cleo rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Green Glass Sea is an absolutely amazing middle grade novel. It is set in Los Alamos during World War II. The atom bomb is secretly developed, and it's known as "the gadget". Eleven year old Dewey Kerrigan lives with her father in this technically non-existent town. Dewey has her own mechanical projects, and locks horns and eventually becomes friends with Suze Gordon, an artistic kid who is a misfit as well. But none of them know how much "the gadget" will change their lives...

The Green Glas...more The Green Glass Sea is an absolutely amazing middle grade novel. It is set in Los Alamos during World War II. The atom bomb is secretly developed, and it's known as "the gadget". Eleven year old Dewey Kerrigan lives with her father in this technically non-existent town. Dewey has her own mechanical projects, and locks horns and eventually becomes friends with Suze Gordon, an artistic kid who is a misfit as well. But none of them know how much "the gadget" will change their lives...

The Green Glass Sea is ultimately about grief and how to cope with it, but for much of the novel, it just talks about what life is like in Los Alamos. Everyone's parents work very late, sometimes not coming home for dinner, and everything is hush-hush. I can't really pin down what made this novel so great for me. Perhaps it was the writing, which is simple but compelling at the same time. Perhaps it was the amazing title, and the interesting historical setting. Or perhaps all of those things combined.

I liked the way that Suze and Dewey's growing friendship was portrayed. At first, Suze hates Dewey (who has to stay at her house for a while) and thinks she's weird, but really, Suze has to admit that she doesn't fit in, either. And they do have a lot in common. They end up having a great time together.

The Green Glass Sea is a page-turner, somehow, even though not that much happens in the book for the first hundred pages or so. It's intense, and combines fiction with history. And it's set in one of the historical periods that I'm most interested in.

But overall, The Green Glass Sea isn't really about the atom bomb or the making of it. It's not discussed that much, and the one person that dies in the book isn't killed by the bomb. As I said, it's hush-hush, so the kids don't really know much about it, other than that it will win the war. And the book ends before Hiroshima. The author says in some of the extra material that she "wanted to end it just before the world changed. The reader knows the world changes irrevocably on the next page, but the next page is not a part of my book...in discussing the book, it's also unrealistic to talk about the atomic bomb without talking about death. The bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki killed more than a quarter of a million people in August 1945, and death on that level is too large and too abstract to comprehend." And I think she's right. The scope of The Green Glass Sea is much smaller, much more individual. It's a book about relationships, in a strange place.

I would highly recommend this engaging work of historical fiction to everyone. I loved many elements of this novel.

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Sep 07, 2012 Mrs.Charles rated it 4 of 5 stars

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Klages, E. (2006) THE GREEN GLASS SEA. New York, NY: Penguin Group. ISBN 978-1-4281-4639-6 (Audio recorded by Julie Dretzin.)

PLOT SUMMARY
Klages creates a historical novel set in Los Alamos, New Mexico in 1943. The story follows 10-year-old Dewey Kerrigan who comes to Los Alamos after her grandmother dies. "Screwy Dewy" is different from everyone because she has a crippled foot and she likes to build mechanical parts. 11-year-old Suze AKA “Truck” would love to be one of the popular gi...more BIBLIOGRAPHY
Klages, E. (2006) THE GREEN GLASS SEA. New York, NY: Penguin Group. ISBN 978-1-4281-4639-6 (Audio recorded by Julie Dretzin.)

PLOT SUMMARY
Klages creates a historical novel set in Los Alamos, New Mexico in 1943. The story follows 10-year-old Dewey Kerrigan who comes to Los Alamos after her grandmother dies. "Screwy Dewy" is different from everyone because she has a crippled foot and she likes to build mechanical parts. 11-year-old Suze AKA “Truck” would love to be one of the popular girls but their worlds collide when Dewy’s father is called away and Dewy moves in.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The Green Glass Sea is a fascinating novel about World War II, scientists and their families in the years leading up to the bomb, and the struggles of finding your way in a unique, interesting community.
Plot – 1943 during World War II. The story takes place in a secluded, top secret community. The worlds top scientists and their families live in this community where the scientists work on a top secret weapon for the war. Students will hear about fascinating scientists and current events of the time. They will read about the death of FDR and how the world felt about the war.
Theme – You will fall in love with Dewey and pray that nothing harms the innocent, child genius. Main themes within the story could be your first impression may not always be right or don’t judge a book by its cover.
Style – The author moves chapters between Dewey and Suze. I had one image of Suze at the beginning of the story and a completely different by the end. Klages does a great job following these young girls daily triumphs and obstacles and all the while keeping alight the historical issues in the background.
*Julie Dretzin did a wonderful job performing the story in audio. I was able to easily follow along with the story.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Winner, 2007 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction
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.”

CONNECTIONS
*This is a book that should prompt discussion about the role of science and Manhattan Project.
*Would be a great read while studying about World War II. It would be great for an English teacher to coincide reading this book while Social Studies teacher goes over WWII unit.

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Oct 10, 2011 Allison rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, ya-teen, mind-blowing, award-winning

This book was very different from what I thought it would be. I'm not really a war buff, so I was hesitant to read a book about WWII. However, I love New Mexico, and I was interested in reading about the founding of Los Alamos. My fears were unfounded, though, because this book rarely touches on the war. I mean, you know that it's going on and that Dewey's and Suze's parents are working on something for the bomb, but the war doesn't directly affect the lives of the main characters. Really, the k...more

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Aug 05, 2011 Natalie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, war, award-winning, historical-fiction

I read the Green Glass Sea on a recommendation from a fellow teacher considering teaching it and finished it in a afternoon at the pool (and accidentally water damaged 3 pages--yikes!!!). This YA book is touching and sweet, and a little scary, too--I actually learned a lot about the making of the atomic bomb. The book made me think about how there were real people on this side of the bomb affected by its creation, and what their life may have been like while working on it. I would like to know...more

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May 18, 2011 Vikki rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011reads

this book came highly recommended, though the friend who recommended it pointed out that i might want to wait a couple of years before sharing it with my 8-year-old. i'm not sure how long i'll wait; it's a beautiful book that i do want to share with her, but i'm not ready yet to introduce the concept of the atomic bomb, or what happened during world war 2 that propelled the US to use it. that said, lots of children's fiction--maybe even most of it--deals with disturbing themes (parental death be...more

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Apr 04, 2011 Becky marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: age-juvenile-fiction, age-middle-school

I need to read this book! The paperback version includes the author's Scott O'Dell acceptance speech, which has one of my favorite statements about historical fiction:

"A lot of people think history is boring. It's just names and dates and facts that you have to memorize for a test...Up until last October, I was primarily a science fiction writer. Which means I'm in a unique position to recognize that this -- [holds up The Green Glass Sea] -- is a time machine. Because that's really what we want...more

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Jul 27, 2010 Nancy O'Toole rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, library, lsc530, school-related-reading, middle-grade

In 1943, Dewey Kerrigan’s life is changed forever when she is sent to live with her father in Los Alamos, a town that officially does not exist on any maps. Here lives a community of some of the brightest minds in the world. They are all heavily at work on a special gadget that can help win the war for the United States. Here Dewey meets Suze, another young girl that she initially does not get along with, but eventually becomes her closest friend. The Green Glass Sea is a interesting historical...more

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Jul 17, 2010 Patience Thomas rated it 5 of 5 stars

Dewey Kerrigan moved to live with her Dad at Los Alamos in 1943. He was one of the hand-picked physicists and renowned master-minds to research the "Gadget" which became the first atomic bomb. Her Dad was a single parent committed to the "war effort". This was an inside look at how this community under the direction of Oppenheimer functioned. In many respects the young people related to one another as in any community but this isolated New Mexico town was cloistered and had strict boundaries. De...more

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Feb 28, 2010 Ch_jank-caporale rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

I was uncomfortable reading this book because of the title and the subject matter. I've been to Los Alamos and know about the green glass of the title. Geiger counters were not very accurate back then, and scientists didn't know which levels of radiation would have lasting effects. I cringed at the end of the book, knowing not only what the radio report on Hiroshima would mean for the world, but what the shoe box full of green glass would mean for Dewey and the Gordons. Whew! Hard one to finish...more I was uncomfortable reading this book because of the title and the subject matter. I've been to Los Alamos and know about the green glass of the title. Geiger counters were not very accurate back then, and scientists didn't know which levels of radiation would have lasting effects. I cringed at the end of the book, knowing not only what the radio report on Hiroshima would mean for the world, but what the shoe box full of green glass would mean for Dewey and the Gordons. Whew! Hard one to finish for me.
Dewey is an eleven year old loner. Her father, a scientist, is her only parent and he is gone much of the time, leaving her with neighbors and friends to fend for herself. Dewey is not interested in "girly" things; she's an inventor and would rather spend her time tinkering with radios and gears, reading, or making things. When she has to move in with the Gordon's because her father is in Washington, D.C. on secret business, she has to share a small room with Suze Gordon, a classmate at school. Suze wants so much to fit in with the girly-girls at their school that she makes fun of "Screwy Dewey" every chance she gets; but she's also considered an outsider because she's not small and dainty and she likes to make art out of things she finds. The girls are not friends; in fact, Suze hates being forced to share her room and Dewey regards Suze as one of the many unpleasant people her father has forced her to learn to live with. But of course, they find commonalities and eventually forge a fragile friendship which will face several difficult tests.
The slow growth of the girls' friendship is set against a backdrop of the work their parents do on the Manhattan Project. Everything is accepted as "acceptable" since sacrifices are made for the "war" effort, even though the war, from where they sit sipping cokes and eating steak, is far from real. In many ways, Dewey suffers the consequences of the war more than any of the other characters: she is orphaned because of it, she's become an immigrant of sorts, and her skills as a mathematician and inventor will only be valued in a community of scientists- once the war is over, she will be an outsider again.
Klages peppers her story with details about the dress of the times, the fascination with comic books, cokes, and tree houses, and the stark setting of Los Alamos in New Mexico of the 1940's. It isn't overtly obvious that Mrs. Gordon is the one to come home and do all the cooking, or that she remains behind while her husband attends the testing. Even female scientists knew their place. What is apparent is the secrecy with which the Project was handled, and the excitement of working on something so new and so powerful that even those working on it didn't know the consequences of what they'd created. Near the end of the book, several tensions begin to appear between Mr. and Mrs. Gordon, especially as they reference the "burned spots that looked like like little animals, like a bird or a desert mouse stenciled black against the hard, flat ground" (312). Hiroshima is mostly alluded to, intending the reader to know the background and outcome of the reference. That puts the book into the center of a social studies curriculum, begging for informational support materials to contextualize all that has happened.
I enjoyed this book for the honesty of the characters and soft openings for questions about America's decision to use the Atomic bomb. In my mind, I think Klages didn't go quite far enough.
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Dec 28, 2009 Lizz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Dear Jimmy Kerrigan:

Why can't you be real and not in 1941 and not in New Mexico working on a top-secret gadget for the United States as World War II rages across the globe? From your Irish tenor to your wool sweaters, from your crazy intelligence to your devoted, sweet, straight-forward relationship with your kick-ass daughter, Dewey,I am head over heels. And you're a MINOR character!

I'm so sorry your drunk-ass wife went and left you and your baby girl, but you'd be better off with me. I would t...more

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Nov 03, 2009 Bernice rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. To the entire world, there was no such place as "the hill" in New Mexico. To Dewey it was her new home where her father and other families working for the government lived and worked on a secret project. This story takes place during WW2, in a place we later learn is a secret location devoted to building "a gadget" that will ultimately end the war. We are given clues throughout the story that what they are indeed building is the first atomic bomb. And "the hill" is the location for the Manhattan...more

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Jun 28, 2009 Elizabeth K. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009-new-reads

We read this for Betsy-Tacy. I thought it was lovely, the story of two girls living at Los Alamos during the war because their parents are research scientists. I loved the combination of the somewhat traditional childhood issues (not fitting in, being labeled as liking "boy" things like math and science, becoming obsessed with comic books) with the extremely unique setting of Manhattan Project. One of the things I liked the most is that the whole tone of the book is very in the moment -- the adu...more

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Jun 09, 2009 thefourthvine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrens-teen

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 02, 2009 Shaya rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, realistic-fiction, school-year-2008-2009

I thought the Green Glass Sea was an okay book. The basic storyline is that all these top scientists are in an army camp in New Mexico building "the gadget". And their children got to come along in some circumstances. Dewey is a geeky, inventor, 11-year-old. She comes with her loving father and really enjoys being around all the scientists and getting to have discussions about her inventions and how things work. Suze is an artistic girl with two scientist parents. She tries to fit in with the gr...more I thought the Green Glass Sea was an okay book. The basic storyline is that all these top scientists are in an army camp in New Mexico building "the gadget". And their children got to come along in some circumstances. Dewey is a geeky, inventor, 11-year-old. She comes with her loving father and really enjoys being around all the scientists and getting to have discussions about her inventions and how things work. Suze is an artistic girl with two scientist parents. She tries to fit in with the group of girl scouts but is not accepted by their group. Suze makes fun of Dewey as one of her ways to fit in.

I thought the premise and the setting were very interesting. I love the idea of all those extroadinary minds all in one place and Dewey having intellectual discussions. But the storyline was soooo predictable! Two enemy girls, forced to live together, don't get along, tragedy strikes, a few moments where they are nice to each other, discover they have some things in common, one girl helps the other, they become friends. It's like so many other books written for this age group. There were a couple surprises but really I guessed at lots of it.

I did not like the writing. Way too much of it was stated. I wanted to know more about Dewey's discussions with scientists and to have learned more scientific information. Neither Dewey's or Suze's emotions felt very real to me.

I called this a cross between historical fiction and realistic fiction because the storyline felt a lot like realistic fiction even though it was set in the 1940s.

The age range was a little young for me even though I found it in the young adult section of my library. I'd say 5th-7th grade is the intended age group.

The story reminded me a little of the Blue Balliet books like Chasing Vermeer. A humanity is highlighted in detail in a middle school book. But I like Blue Balliet's puzzles and writing story more than Ellen Klage's writing style.

*Spoilers Start Here*

The ending irked me. I can't believe that Suze's parents wouldn't explicitely tell Dewey that she could live with them. They were absent a bit, but still! Dewey should've have been involved in the decision process the entire time and had a clear idea.

The book does bring up an interesting idea about the atom bomb. All these scientists are having an invigorating time using their skills to make the atom bomb. Dewey and Suze think the experimentation site is pretty cool with the grene glass. But the purpose of the bomb is not to make pretty green (radioactive) seas in the desert. It's to destroy lots of people and buildings. At the end we get a sense that some of the scientists are beginning to question if this was such a good idea. Think of how they must have felt after Hiroshima! (less)

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May 29, 2009 Nancy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: award-winners, children-s-books, historical-fiction, science, young-adult-interest

Ten-year-old Dewey Kerrigan, who has been living with her grandmother for some years, is reunited with her father and taken to Los Alamos where he is doing "war work." When he is called to Washington, she stays temporarily, with the Gordans, a family with two scientist parents, and a girl her own age, Suze. Suze does not appreciate her presence, and when Dewey's father is hit by a car and killed, Dewey moves in on a semi-permanent basis. Her grandmother is in a nursing home, and her mother aband...more

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About Ellen Klages

Ellen Klages was born in Ohio, and now lives in San Francisco.

Her short fiction has appeared in science fiction and fantasy anthologies and magazines, both online and in print, including The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Black Gate, and Firebirds Rising. Her story, "Basement Magic," won the Best Novelette Nebula Award in 2005. Several of her other stories have been on the final ballot f...more

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“Music is the hidden arithmetic of the soul, which does not know that it deals with numbers. (Paraphrasing Gottfried Wilhelm Leibnitz)” — 2 people liked it

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