Genre 5 Historical Fiction: THE GREEN GLASS SEA

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Klages, Ellen. 2006. THE GREEN GLASS SEA. New York, NY: Penguin Group. ISBN: 0670061344

PLOT SUMMARY
This is a historical fiction novel. The place is set in Los Alamos, New Mexico, during World War II. The main character is a young girl named Dewey. It is 1943 and eleven year old Dewey goes to live with her father at a rather secret place called “The Hill”. During her stay on The Hill we hear about all the scientists that have been pulled out of various prestigious universities and are working on the “gadget”. The story is about Dewey’s experience here and how this place is seen through the eyes of a child.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This is a well written historical novel that is easy to read. The young heroin “Dewey” draws us into the mystery of the story. We slowly find out about the war and the way life was back in the fortys during this time. We find out about how secret the building of the atomic bomb was, and how desperately people wanted this war to end. It is well written in a way that students would be interested in it as a fiction novel. The story is very original with interesting characters. History in this story is not sugar-coated, but at the same time it is not a gruesome war story. It is more of a “behind the scenes” type of story, about how the people back home were trying to contribute to the war effort. The author does a good job of showcasing the spirit of the times. The language is clear and easy to understand, and we get the sense of the time era by the descriptions of the items used in daily life. In the story we often see them listening to the radio, and telephones are scarce. Letters are a main form of communication. We also see that even in times of war children are still children. They play, they have cliques and they read comic books. Children will always want to fit in and have friends, no matter what is going on in the world, and that the author portrays this through her characters adds strength to the story.
Also included in the book is an Author’s Note page. On this page she gives some history of the actual “Manhattan Project”, and the development of the atomic bomb. An Acknowledgements page discusses the research she did into Los Alamos and this time period.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
From 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."–Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library

From Booklist: "Feynman's presence in this finely wrought first novel is the first clue that Dewey is headed for Los Alamos. The mystery and tension surrounding "war work" and what Dewey knows only as "the gadget" trickles down to the kids living in the Los Alamos compound, who often do without adult supervision. Although disliked by her girl classmates, "Screwy Dewey" enjoys Los Alamos. There are lots of people to talk with about radios (including "Oppie"), and she has the wonderful opportunity to dig through the nearby dump for discarded science stuff. However, when Dewey's father leaves for Washington, she is left to fend off the biggest bully in Los Alamos. 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." John Green

CONNECTIONS:
Read other books about Los Alamos and the atomic bomb, such as: TALES OF LOS ALAMOS: LIFE ON THE MESA 1943-1945
Discuss the ramifications of the atomic bomb, and the lasting effects it had.
Read other historical fiction books about this time period