Writing from the points of view of two displaced children, she successfully recreates life at Los Alamos Camp, where scientists and mathematicians converge with their families to construct and test the first nuclear bomb. Use in a Social Studies/English lesson focusing on the Manhattan Project, impacts of the atomic bomb, or WWII.Klages makes an impressive debut with an ambitious, meticulously researched novel set during WWII. Gather the sequel to The Green Glass Sea: “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 of Booklist “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 of School Library Journal Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction Klages gives a uniquely different view of the “gadget” that changed WWII and the world. Even though the girls are living in a top-secret location, they both experience the same emotions and trails that many young girls and people encounter. This historical fiction brings alive life in the 1940’s with rich descriptions of the setting and specific period details, such as the green glass bottles that the coke came in.Īdditionally, both Dewey and Suze are expertly developed children that are relatable, likable, and keeps the reader interested and invested. While this book takes place during a difficult time for our world and nation, the main focus is on the creation of the “gadget.” However, due to prior knowledge and background, the reader is much more emotionally invested in the book because of the outcome and effects that the “gadget” caused. Klages takes readers back to the 1940’s and shows them life on “The Hill” through the eyes of a young girl, Dewey Kerrigan.

Together, the girls experience life on “The Hill,” also known as the secret location of the Manhattan Project. Once Dewey arrives at Los Alamos, New Mexico, or “The Hill,” she meets Suze, another scientists’ daughter whose father is also working on the top secret project. Dewey’s father is an esteemed scientist who has been assigned to create a “gadget” to end WWII. The Green Glass Sea tells the story of a young girl named Dewey Kerrigan, as she is transported from the midwest to Los Alamos, New Mexico, to live with her father during the heart of WWII.

The green glass sea by ellen klages