THE GREEN GLASS SEA by Ellen Kages

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

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Klages writes an intriguing novel about two girls lives that intertwine during World War II. Dewey Kerrigan is the daughter of a scientist working on a special ‘gadget’ that will help the United States end the war for good. She is very interested in building gadgets of her own and spends her days at the junkyard finding parts, making her a social outcast with her peers, especially Suze. Suze Gordon constantly seeks the approval of her friends, who see her as desperate for attention. Suddenly, Suze finds herself sharing her room with the dreaded ‘Screwy Dewey’. After a few growing pains, the two misfits become friends.

Los Alamos is a strange place to grow up. Everything is a secret. They had no telephones and all of their outgoing mail is read by strangers. The children have little idea what their parents do and they are not allowed to ask too many questions.

Everyone, including Dewey and Suze or their parents who have been working on this project for years, are not prepared for the effects of the ‘gadget’. Though many signed on for this project with optimistic ideals, they are forced to rely on their patriotism when ethics get in the way.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This story is mostly told through the eyes of Dewey and Suze, two outcast girls living in a secret base in New Mexico during World War II. Klages uses natural language to express the thoughts and expressions of these prepubescent girls as they try to make sense of their lives in this strange community. Children often have questions about what is going on around them and Klages gave these girls a voice when they were not allowed to verbalize their thoughts. “If the government really wanted them to be happy, why did they read her mail? Why did they have barbed-wire fences and guards, sirens and passes?”

The characters she uses are real and relatable. Dewey is a young girl who loves science and gadgets. She stays in her own world and has very little in common with her peers. Suze is the girl that always wants attention and falls short when attempting to impress the other kids at school.

The setting is Los Alamos, a secret city in the hills of New Mexico that only allows access with special passes. It is a military base where scientists from all over the country are working side by side on a special ‘gadget’ that will help stop the war. Klages did an amazing job with her research to find out what life must have been like during this operation. Due to her detailed account of daily life, the reader gets pulled into the details and mystery of what is going on in Los Alamos.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
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 characters are exceptionally well drawn, and the compelling, unusual setting makes a great tie-in for history classes.”

5. CONNECTIONS
*This is a book could lead to class discussions about the ethical concerns of the Atomic Bomb, World War II, or the many historical events that surround this time period.
*Students may compare and contrast their life to the lives of Dewey or Suze
* Other books of interest may include:
Zindel, Paul. THE GADGET. ISBN 0440229510
Davies, Jacqueline. WHERE THE GROUND MEETS THE SKY. ISBN 0761451870
Taylor, Theodore. THE BOMB. ISBN 0152061657