Book Review: THE GREEN GLASS SEA by Ellen Klages

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Books in Print (via TWU Databases). Accessed November 04, 2013. http://ezproxy.twu.edu:2125/DetailedView.aspx?hreciid=|16598565|13275110&mc=USA

Klages, Ellen. 2006. The Green Glass Sea. New York: Penguin Group. ISBN 9780670061341

Winner of the Scott O’Dell Historical Fiction Award (2007) The Green Glass Sea, written by Ellen Klages is a moving story about a young girl, orphaned during World War II. Her father, a scientist working for the military, is killed and the young girl must adjust to life with a family that is also living in the military facility.

The plot revolves around a military project where scientists and their families live in a designated area of Los Alamos, New Mexico during World War II. The details of every action, thought and setting for everything in the novel is described at length. Although this provides a mental picture of the written text, this may become cumbersome for a young person reading the novel.

There is a significant degree of authenticity to the setting. An author’s note is included at the close of the reading to provide which elements are facts of history, and which are fiction. The basis of the story is the “Manhattan Project,” which is the military project that developed the atomic bomb. In addition, Klages includes recommended reading to further discover details about what took place in Los Alamos during World War II.

The theme is one based on the universal experiences of friendship, loss of loved ones, and a need for family connections. The pain a child experiences when orphaned is a timeless one, and is not limited to any particular era. The novel can be used as an example for young readers learning about general history, or specifically the era in which the atomic bomb was developed.

The style is one of much detail, where certain elements characteristic of the era are highlighted. For example, Dewey waits to see her father’s green Studebaker. Although the vehicle exists in current day as an antique model, in that era it would have been more commonplace. Other examples of including the flavor of the times into the story include young Dewey listening to the classic tune “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” on a box radio.

           

        In the acknowledgements, Klages indicates that she relied on a variety of sources, including that of Life magazine from issues dated during the period of World War II. Sources are not directly cited for this novel. In addition, the author states that the final chapter of The Green Glass Sea is based on a short story she had written. Klages also used post cards and out-of-print books to reflect upon life during the 1940’s. As indicated by Ava Donaldson in her Voice of Youth Advocates review, "The Green Glass Sea is a wonderful representation of the hardships and little wonders of World War II" (Books in Print 2007).

References:

Books in Print (via TWU Databases). Accessed November 04, 2013. http://ezproxy.twu.edu:2125/DetailedView.aspx?hreciid=|16598565|13275110&mc=USA

Klages, Ellen. 2006. The Green Glass Sea. New York: Penguin Group. ISBN 9780670061341