The Green Glass Sea
By Ellen Klages
Summary
The book, The Green Glass Sea, takes place in 1943 in a town called Los Alamos in New Mexico. Dewey is an eleven year old girl who goes to Los Alamos to live with her Dad after her grandmother dies. Only scientist’s, chemist’s, and mathematician’s and their children live there. The families are protected by the highest security they had in 1943. They work all day and a lot of the night trying to create the “gadget” to win the war. This was a top secret mission to win the war. Dewey struggles to fit in with the other girls. She is treated differently because she likes working with circuits and electricity. Suze is considered a “misfit” by her peers and she shares the same passion for science as Dewey. Eventually the two of them develop a strong friendship. This page turner book is about Dewey’s struggle to understand this secret “gadget” that her father is working on and why she is in Los Alamos.
Living in a top secret hideout in Mexico not even knowing really why you're there except that there is one secret “gadget” your dad is working on is kind of a shock. Dewey has gotten used to living there. She describes “Everything as a village , with low, beige buildings shrubs and cactus, and narrow, cobble stoned streets p.26. The type of conflict is character to Society. It is character to world because it is Dewey trying to figure out what the “gadget” is. She is not allowed to know anything. All she knows it that her father works as a scientist along with other mathematicians and scientist trying to create “the gadget.” Dewey follows Suze and her friends. They climb over a fence and go to a prohibited area. Suze jumps over first then everyone follows. The guards see them and they go running out the back way.They will do anything to figure out what happened.
The climax is when the atomic bomb works. After all the scientist hard work the gadget works. Dewey and Suze's finally figure out what their parents were working on all this time.“And suddenly there was a bright light, as She got to witness it with her new best friend. Everyone cheered at the sight of the light.” Dewey describes it as it being morning again. She says that is was so bright that she could see could all the peoples faces and the checks on the blanket. The resolution is that she gets to stay with Suze. She gets to go on Suze’s birthday trip with her and her family. Suze Dad takes them to see what the bomb made. “Dewey and Suze both nodded and stepped out onto the green glass sea. “The strange twisted surface crunched and crackled beneath their feet as if they were walking on braided ice.”They walk up from the edge until all they could see was green splattered at their feet, merging into solid colors at the edges of their vision.”p. 314
Character Traits
“The Germans have surrendered! he said. The war in Europe is over! President Truman announced this morning that General Eisenhower. . . Suze stared at the radio in shock for a minute, then began shaking the box of spaghetti furiously, Like a New Years Eve noise maker. She jumped up and down so hard that the paper Toto dog, only partially cut out, fluttered fluttered of the table and glided across the linoleum.”p. 196, 197 This is a turning point because it is something big the happened in the war so everyone is now celebrating.
“Dewey, Mrs. Gordon said, smoothing a hand across Deweys dark curls. Honey- and then her voice fell broke. Suze felt a wave of relief wash over her, as if a huge weight had been lifted off her chest. Dewy bit her lip so hard white all the way around. She looked over at Oppie and said, Papa Oppie nodded. Bad? Suze heard her mother give a little cry, a squeak from somewhere in her throat. He was hit by a car, Oppie said, I am sorry. He- the police said he was killed instantly. (p. 227) This is a turning point because now she has no family member to live with and she might have to go to a orphanage.
This is when Deweys Dad tells her that he is going to Washington. “I love you so much papa said, his voice barely above a whisper. But I have to go away again. A couple of weeks. The generals asked me to help them make sense of some German papers he found. Is it important dewey asked. He nodded. I wouldn’t go if it wasn’t.”p127 This is important because now she has to live with Suze who doesn’t even like her. She will have to make friends and share a room with her.
Story, Place and Time
- 1939 is when World War two started. The war started because one Treaty of Versailles. Two of Hitler's actions, three Failure of Appeasement and Failure of the League of Nations.
- April 12, 1945 is when President Roosevelt dies because of Cerebral hemorrhage. President Roosevelt lead the united states through the Great depression and World War two.
- April 30, 1945 is when Hitler dies. Hitler and his wife commit suicide she ingest Cyanide and hitler shot himself through the mouth. The bodies were burned as he instructed.
- July 16, 1945 the Los Alamos scientist tested the first atomic bomb. They secretly tested it and it landed in Hiroshima killing 90,000–166,000 people that bomb was called little boy. They also dropped a bomb on Nagasaki killing 60,000–80,000 people.
- December 31, 1946 was when President Truman officially declared the end of the war World War 2 ended.
Spotlight on History
“Dewey had never seen Mrs. Gordon cry. She wouldn't have thought Suze could. Mrs. Gordon looked up at her over suze’s shaking blond head. There you are, she said sniffling. Come over here and sit down. She moved her arm and patted the chair next to her. Dewey started for a moment, then sat down woodenly, as if her legs had never bent that way before. She gripped the edge She gripped the edge of the table and waited. President Roosevelt died a few hours ago said Mrs. Gordon.”(p.168) This connects to the history because it tells that a real president died.
“The Germans have surrendered! he said. The war in Europe is over! President Truman announced this morning that General Eisenhower. . . Suze stared at the radio in shock for a minute, then began shaking the box of spaghetti furiously, Like a New Years Eve noise maker. She jumped up and down so hard that the paper Toto dog, only partially cut out, fluttered fluttered of the table and glided across the linoleum.”p. 196, 197 This connected to history because it is telling that Europe surrendered.
“And suddenly there was a bright light, as bright as the sun. p. 276” That is when the atomic bomb goes of “ the gadget.” This is something that actually happened in real life.