The Green Glass Sea--review

The following review is in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for LS5603.20, Genre 5—historical fiction.

1. Bibliography

Klages, Ellen. 2006. The Green Glass Sea. New York: Viking.
ISBN 0-670-06134-4

2. Plot Summary

The Green Glass Sea, set in New Mexico during World War II, is
the story of 11-year-old Dewey Kerrigan. Dewey goes to live
with her father at Los Alamos while he works on “the gadget.”
Dewey has trouble fitting in with the girls already living there,
but she does not let it stop her from being herself and doing
the things that she wants to do. When Mr. Kerrigan is sent to
work in Washington, Dewey has to move in with her arch-rival
Suze Gordon. The two girls struggle to work out their differences
and get along. The temporary arrangement becomes permanent
when Mr. Kerrigan is killed in an accident. The title of the book
comes from a last gift that Mr. Kerrigan gives to Dewey.


3. Critical Analysis

The Green Glass Sea is historical fiction set in World War II Los
Alamos, New Mexico. There are some historical figures (Richard
Feynman, Robert Oppenheimer, and Dorothy McKibbin) and there
are some actual historical events, but Dewey’s story is fiction.
Ellen Klages makes the story believable. She brings the past to
life with accurate details, such as her description of Dewey’s
train ride to New Mexico. She mentions songs that were playing
on the radio and food that was available at the grocery store.
Her descriptions seem to be very representative of life in the
1940’s.

Although the historical figures mentioned in the book are some of
the most important people in United States and world history, in
The Green Glass Sea, their appearances are brief. The reader only
sees them as they interact with Dewey. She does not realize who
they are, so the reader does not either. The story is about Dewey.
The others are only a supporting cast.

The plot of The Green Glass Sea is very realistic. As with the
characters, the focus is on Dewey, not on the development of
“the gadget.” The details about life and work at Los Alamos are
accurate, but the plot revolves around Dewey’s life and problems.
The story is about dealing with change and loss, not about building
an atomic bomb.

Ellen Klages tells a compelling story about a young girl living in a
fascinating time and place, as evidenced by the fact that
The Green Glass Sea is the recipient of several awards, including
the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction, the Judy Lopez Award
for Children’s Literature, and #1 on the BookSense Winter 2006/2007
Children’s Picks List.


4. Review Excerpts

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.”— John Green



School Library Journal: “Clear prose brings readers right into
the unusual atmosphere of the secretive scientific community,
seen through the eyes of the kids and their families. Dewey is
an especially engaging character, plunging on with her
mechanical projects and ignoring any questions about gender
roles. 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



Publisher’s Weekly: “Klages makes an impressive debut with
an ambitious, meticulously researched novel set during WWII.”



Horn Book: “…the story, an intense but accessible page-turner,
firmly belongs to the girls and their families; history and story
are drawn together with confidence."


5. Connections

● Create a reader’s theater presentation with any of the scenes
between Dewey and Suze, or Dewey and the other girls in town.
● Look at the Los Alamos National Laboratory website for factual
information and pictures of the area during World War II.
http://www.lanl.gov/history/
● Find biographical information on Robert Oppenheimer,
Richard Feynman, or Dorothy McKibbin.
● Build a radio. Several websites offer instructions, including
http://sci-toys.com/scitoys/scitoys/radio/radio.html.

Ellen Klages is writing a sequel to The Green Glass Sea. The
working title is White Sands, Red Menace.