White Sands, Red Menace by Ellen Klages

This is the sequel to a book I reviewed a week or so ago called the Green Glass Sea. This picks up after the bomb has been dropped and the war is "over". The German scientists, Von Braun and others are now here in America helping us with our rocket program. Our main characters, Dewey and Suze are back. They mostly live with Suze's mom, Terry Gordon, because Suze's father, Dr. Gordon is busy working on the rocket. Mrs. Gordon is protesting the war, she's very upset at having helped create something that killed so many people. Suze and Dewey have created a whole carnival of Rube Goldberg type machines with Suze's artistic representations of people. Suze isn't happy with how her mom and Dewey seem to be best friends, and soon finds a friend in town called Ynez. From Ynez Suze learns about prejudice in the town, as well as Mexican culture. Dewey meets a boy named Owen, and a friendship turns into a young love type relationship, but never does the story get too gushy for a kid's book. And towards the end a mysterious woman on a motorcycle shows up, and things get to be interesting. Mrs. Gordon and Dr. Gordon are fighting, and of course they also have an issue showing up to mess with their relationship besides their disagreement on the science research.

This book had some great history in it. I know it was considered as a possible Truman nominee, but guess it didn't make it since I don't see it on the list this year. I feel they made a mistake. This book was really good, as was the one that came before it. Oh well, I will definitely recommend it to kids at school as well as at the bookstore. That is if I ever get to work in the kids department again.

The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages

This is a YA book, and I really enjoyed it. I've really gotten into the historical fiction lately, especially the YA stuff.

This is set in 1943, during World War II. One of our main characters is Dewey Kerrigan. Her father is a scientist and they live in a town that doesn't officially exist, Los Alamos, New Mexico. The scientists here are working on a very secret military project called only "the gadget" that is supposed to be able to end the war if they can just get it right. Dewey is kind of a tomboy in that she enjoys building mechanical type projects. Another girl living in this nonexistent town is Suze Gordon. Suze is also kind of an outsider with the other girls, but tries her hardest at first to fit in with the girls in the town. Due to Dewey's father being called to Washington to help with the project politically, Dewey ends up staying with Suze and her family. A friendship forms after they come to see what they have in common.

Of course the gadget does get invented, and there is a tragedy for Dewey. I was glad to see that there is a sequel, another book I had noticed before I even read this one, called White Sands, Red Menace. I have it to read, so it will probably be one of my next YA books. Or I'll read it after the Lincoln Child book I'm reading now.