“Dewey Kerrigan sits on the concrete front steps of Mrs. Kovak’s house in St. Louis, waiting for her father.”

From Ellen Klages’ The Green Glass Sea.

Dewey Kerrigan has been separated from her father for far too long, but now their months-lgreong separation is about to be over!  Dewey’s father works for the government as a scientist, but now she can finally go live with him.  She travels across the country to a town in New Mexico that doesn’t exist on any map (Los Alamos, but everyone calls it “The Hill”), but that’s where her father is, so 10-year-old Dewey doesn’t care.  Dewey and her father live in a community of scientists, engineers, military personnel, and their families, but all Papa can tell her is that they are all working on a gadget that, they hope, will bring World War II to a quick end.  Inspired by her scientist father, Dewey even tinkers with inventing a gadget, but the work is difficult and only makes people (like Suze Gordon) dislike her.  Dewey hardly gets to see Papa, but at least they are together at The Hill.  One day, Papa announces that he has to leave for a few months and Dewey will have to stay with the Gordon family until he returns.  Dewey is crushed, but she can’t do anything about her situation except keep working on her gadget, try to get along with Suze, and maybe learn more about what’s going on at The Hill.

This historical fiction set in 1943 is both touching and inspiring.  Dewey is an incredibly easy character to connect with, while her brilliance allows for a more mature main character, even though she is a child.  Klages manages to create a story that is intriguing, but not over complex to lose readers in the details.  While this book is written for children, the fact-rich setting will easily draw in readers of all ages.  The Green Glass Sea is a quick read that will shed light on a fascinating time in American history.