“‘Girls?'”

From Ellen Klages’ White Sands, Red Menace.

It’s 1946 and Dewey Kerrigan lives with the Gordons; Dr. Kerrigan and the Gordons met while developing the atomic bomb that brought WWII to an end.  Over the past few years, Suze Gordon has become the sister that Dewey never had, while Mr. and Mrs. Gordon have become the solid parental figures that Dewey’s brilliant father and runaway mother never could quite manage.  Now living in Alamogordon, New Mexico, Dr. Gordon is working on a new project (a rocket that will go to space) and the girls have adjusted well to their new normal; Suze is still interested in her artwork, Dewey still likes to build gadgets, and they like combining their work on the bedroom wall.  Both girls are able to make some friends through their new school and neighborhood that help to open their world to new ideas and possibilities.  However, things are far from perfect… Dewey struggles with being held back in science and math (because she’s a girl), Mr. and Mrs. Gordon are fighting a lot, Suze feels Dewey is closer to her mother than she is, and some stranger on a motorcycle is asking a lot of questions about Dewey.  Dewey and Suze must struggle with what it means to grow up and also how to stay connected to the ones they love.

Klages’ sequel to The Green Glass Sea is another piece of historical fiction that is appealing to readers, regardless of age.  This second novel allows for the characters to be built up from the first, making them (especially the main characters) more relatable and believable.  One major change with this story is the change in time and attitudes; it definitely helps everything feel like it has grown with the lapse of time.  White Sands, Red Menace is a read that is filled with enough twists to keep readers engaged from start to finish.