Book Review of THE GREEN GLASS SEA

Bibliography:

Klages, Ellen. 2006. The green glass sea: A novel. New York: Viking.
ISBN 0670061344


Plot Summary:

The Green Glass Sea is the story of ten-year old Dewey Kerrigan who, in 1943, is placed on a train to New Mexico to live with her father, a mathematician working on the Manhattan Project. Dewey enjoys life on “the Hill” because it allows her to be with her father, to meet and ask questions of scientists such as Dr. Oppenheimer, and to work on her mechanical inventions. When Dewey’s father is called to Washington, D.C. on business, she must stay with the Gordons, whose daughter Suze detests Dewey. Suze is trying to fit in to life on “The Hill”, but she doesn’t like the closed Army world and is finding it hard to make friends.

While Dewey’s father is in D.C., he is killed in an accident. Since Dewey has no other family, she remains on the Hill with the Gordons “for the duration” of the Manhattan project. Over the course of the next few months, the two girls overcome their differences and become friends. After witnessing the successful testing of “the gadget”, Dewey believes her time with the Gordons is about to end. When the Gordons ask her to pack without explaining why, Dewey runs away. Suze finds her and explains that they are going on a vacation. Dewey and the Gordons visit the Trinity Site to see the green glass sea created when the atomic bomb detonated. Dewey takes a piece home with her as “one last gift from her Papa” and settles in to her new life with the Gordons.


Critical Analysis:

Although The Green Glass Sea is set in the 1940’s, it is a story that transcends time. Readers can relate to the two very different young girls who, through circumstances beyond their control, come to rely on and love one another. In order to acquaint readers with both girls, the author introduces each one separately. First, the reader meets Dewey, a serious, smart Scientific-minded ten year old who likes to read The Boy Mechanic and become “absorbed in the world of facts and diagrams, a world with very few surprises” (page 11). Then, Suze is introduced, and the reader soon learns that she is creative and enjoys the “comings and goings of a real city” filled with new experiences (page 63). Before the two ever meet, the reader is aware of the differences between them. Thus, it is not a surprise that Suze thinks Dewey is “the weirdest girl (she) had ever met” (page 65), and Dewey finds Suze bossy. The author accurately captures the actions and reactions of both young girls as they interact with one another. She taps in on feelings that all people share. For instance, when Dewey is unpacking for her stay with the Gordons, Suze “drew a straight yellow line down the middle (of the room) . . . ‘You and your stuff stay on your side,’ she said, turning to face Dewey. ‘Got it?’ . . .(Dewey) looked at Suze for several seconds. ‘Yeah, I got it. Don’t’ worry I never color outside of the lines.’” (page 147). This brief interchange captures the emotions of both girls and brings readers in to the story because they can relate to the feelings each is experiencing. Over the course of the story, readers become emotionally involved with Dewey and Suze. As a result, they feel the bond between the two as they stand up to Joyce and her clique; experience the sadness as the two learn from Oppie that Dewey’s father has been killed; and feel their camaraderie when they form “The Shazam Club”. The reader’s ability to identify and become involved with the characters is a credit to the wonderful writing of Ellen Klages.

While the theme of friendship in The Green Glass Sea is universal, the setting is unique and adds to the story, bringing it to life. The story takes place on “the Hill” in Los Alamos during World War II at the height of the Manhattan Project. Although the project and Los Alamos serve as a background to the actual story, both impact the lives of Dewey and Suze, bringing them together and creating a friendship between them. Since most young readers are not familiar with Los Alamos or its role in World War II, Klages makes an effort throughout the entire story to describe and draw attention to the uniqueness of the area. She conveys the isolation and secretiveness of this place from the moment of Dewey’s arrival when she is greeted by Mrs. McKibbin, the “welcoming committee”, and learns the rules: “Well, the main thing is that everything about your new home has to be a secret. Off the Hill, you can’t tell anyone where you live, or who you live with, or what you see or hear” (page 29). Klages also provides each girl’s distinct view of her life on the Hill. Dewey is comforted by the routine and “marveled at the freedom she had on the Hill” (page 56), while Suze views it as “a funny place, separate from the outside world, filtered through the army. . . always the same, day after day” (page 63). Throughout the story, the author continues to make references to the setting which reveal more about it, the scientists working there, and the “gadget” they are working on. Klages includes real Manhattan Project scientists, such as Dick Feynman and Dr. Robert Oppenheimer, reminding readers that the project on the Hill actually occurred. By creatively weaving references in to the story line, Klages allows readers learn about this time in history while enjoying a tale of friendship.

At the end of this novel, Ellen Klages reminds readers that although “Dewey and Suze and their families are fictional characters placed into this historic setting” (page 320), the location and the project were real. She lists the names of actual people who are included in the story. This note, while meant to be informative, also piques readers’ curiosity. As if aware of this, the author has included several sources as “a good place to start” learning more on this unique time in American history, allowing her readers to decide if they want to learn more about this topic on their own. Whether or not readers elect to learn more about the Manhattan project, they will want to get ready for the sequel, White Sands, Red Menace, due out in 2008. I know I can’t wait to find out what happened to Dewey and Suze when they left the Hill and returned to the “real” world.


Review Excerpts:

Winner Scott O’Dell Historical Fiction Award, 2007

Horn Book Magazine (December 2006) - “Klages evokes both the big-sky landscape of the Southwest and a community where "everything is secret" with inviting ease and the right details, focusing particularly on the society of the children who live there. Dewey seems comfortable with her own oddness (she's small for her age, slightly lame, and loves inventing mechanical gizmos) and serves as something of an example to another girl, Suze, who has been trying desperately to fit in. Their burgeoning friendship sees them through bouts of taunting, their parents' ceaseless attention to "the gadget," personal tragedy, and of course the test detonation. . . Cameo appearances are made by such famous names as Richard Feynman (he helps Dewey build a radio) and Robert Oppenheimer, but the story, an intense but accessible page-turner, firmly belongs to the girls and their families; history and story are drawn together with confidence.”

Booklist (November 2006) - “In November 1943, 10-year-old budding inventor Dewey Kerrigan sets off on a cross-country train ride to be with her father, who is engaged in war work. She is busy designing a radio when a fellow passenger named Dick Feynman offers to help her. 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.”


Connections:

Ellen Klages’ sequel to The Green Glass Sea is due out in 2008. Have students write a story of what happens to Dewey and Suze when they leave the Hill at the completion of the Manhattan Project. When White Sands, Red Menace is released, the class can read the book together and find out what actually happened to the characters.


Read books on the Manhattan Project.

Gonzales, Doreen. THE MANHATTAN PROJECT AND THE ATOMIC BOMB IN AMERICAN HISTORY. ISBN 0894908790

Edited by Kenneth M. Deitch. THE MANHATTAN PROJECT: A SECRET WARTIME MISSION. ISBN 18786684212

Scherer, Glenn. J. ROBERT OPPENHEIMER: THE BRAIN BEHIND THE BOMB.
ISBN 9781598450507


A variety of discussions could be held:

1. Have students discuss what it would be like to live in a community like Los Alamos. What are the pros and the cons to living in such an isolated location? How would they feel if all their mail was read by censors? Would they be willing to make these sacrifices for their country?


2. The Manhattan Project and Los Alamos were kept secret in the 1940’s. Would it be possible for this same type of situation to occur today? Why or why not?