The Green Glass Sea is about the Manhattan Project during WWII, written from the perspective of children which makes it easily accessible to middle schoolers. I found it very interesting too!
Dewey has been staying with her Grandma while her father works as a scientist for the war. But her Grandma is in a home now, and she's very glad her father will be picking her up and taking her away from the neighbor's house. She has missed her father so much and has a lot of questions for him about her inventions.
She's surprised when it isn't her father that picks her up but a military escort who puts her on a train to a secret location to meet up with her father. Dewey loves Los Alamos, even though she and her father almost never leave there. She has a lot of independence and can find treasures at the dump that she can use to build things. Her father and all of the other grownups work long hours.
Suze hates Los Alamos. Both her parents work long hours, and she's trying so hard to fit in with the "in" crowd at school -- but not being really successful. When her mother tells her that the weird Dewey girl is going to stay with them while Dewey's father is out of town, she wants nothing to do with her.
An unlikely and heartwarming friendship slowly develops. I didn't really like that tragedy strikes--I even shed a few tears--but that was Klages' choice. The Green Glass Sea is a story of friendship mostly, but an interesting historical element adds much. It was a unique situation that these families were a part of, even though most of them hoped but really had no idea how their efforts would affect the war.
The Green Glass Sea is an easy, quick read that a wide range of kids would like. This is the first book of a three-book series. I actually picked this book up at a Little Free Library at a campground while we were on vacation in Tennessee. I'm hoping to find one in my area to return it.
This sounds like a great novel to introduce middle grade students to the Manhattan Project, which they won't study in school until much later.
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