The Green Glass Sea

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Klages, Ellen. 2006. The Green Glass Sea. New York: Penguin Group. ISBN 9780142411490


The Green Glass Sea is a historical fiction story that takes place in Los Alamos, New Mexico during WWII. Los Alamos is a town where the scientists working on "the gadget" and their family members reside. "The gadget" is very secretive and will change the world and how people look at war forever. 

The characters are very believable in this story. Dewey Kerrigan is ten years old and very bright. She lives with her grandmother in the beginning, but later moves to Los Alamos to live with her father. Many children can relate to Dewey's experiences in the story. Another character, Suze Gordon, is a girl who wants to be part of the crowd so badly, that she bullies the other children. Dewey is able to transform Suze into someone who no longer bullies. Children can also relate to Suze's experiences of wanting others to accept her. The plot presents the history during WWII accurately and is not overwhelmed with details. It is realistic to the time period, however, because this part of history is not regularly discussed, many children will not know how realistic it really is.

The setting is an integral part to the story, as this is where the scientists and families lived during this time in history. The time and place are vividly described and helps contribute to the authenticity. The themes of family, friendship, the need to 'fit in', and war are all relevant today, just as they were during WWII. The style captures the flavor of the time with "you read about the war. Somewhere else. Hundreds of people probably died yesterday. We knew this one" and many more phrases.The literary elements are woven together to create a seamless story. 

The story is very authentic and the author provides references for further research, discussion questions, and activities.  Although this story is authentic, I'm not positive children will relate at all. Perhaps if this story was part of a lesson about WWII and the atomic bomb, children may understand the topics that Klages is 'tip-toeing' around. 

The Green Glass Sea was a Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction winner in 2007. Other awards and nominations include: Locus Award-nominee, Nene Award-recommended, Isinglass Teen Read Award-nominee, and many more.

If you enjoy this title, you may enjoy White Sands, Red Menace, also written by Ellen Klages.

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 historical significance will experience the story in a different, but equally powerful way."

Booklist
"The novel occasionally gets mired down with detail, but the characters are exceptionally well drawn, and the compelling, unusual setting makes a great tie-in for history class."

Further activities can be found at:
http://nlc.nebraska.gov/youth/obok/2009/activities.pdf

http://teacher.scholastic.com/clubs/lit_circle_pdfs/greenglasssea_t.pdf

http://historyexplorer.si.edu/books/book/?key=570