The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

1.  BIBLIOGRAPHY

Green, John.  2012.  THE FAULT IN OUR STARS.  New York: Dutton Books.  ISBN  9780525478812

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

Sixteen-year-old Hazel Lancaster has been diagnosed with Stage Four Thyroid cancer and knows how lucky she is to still be alive.  She's been on a steady regiment of an experimental drug that has lengthened her life, but has taken its toll on her lungs; she is now hooked up to an oxygen tank or BiPap machine to aid in her breathing.  At a cancer support meeting, she meets the sharp-witted, intriguing Augustus "Gus" Waters and they instantly hit it off.  Readers learn that Gus is in remission from osteosarcoma and lost part of his leg due to the cancer.  Both Hazel and Gus form a unique bond of friendship that eventually transitions to love.  A wish-granting organization offers Gus an opportunity to make his dream come true.  He chooses to give his wish to Hazel so that she can fly to Amsterdam to meet the author of her favorite book.  When they return, readers learn that Gus' cancer has returned aggressively.  Through it all, Hazel and Gus lean on each other for support and share their fears, hopes, and dreams with one another. 

3.  CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Green does a fantastic job of developing well-rounded, solid characters for this contemporary realistic fiction novel.  Since it is written in first-person perspective, readers get an intimate glimpse of Hazel’s thoughts and feelings.  As readers turn the pages, an honest and authentic account of a cancer patient’s struggle begins to emerge.  Hazel comments on the awkward and pitiful looks she receives from friends, saying “Any attempts to feign normal social interactions were just depressing because it was so glaringly obvious that everyone I spoke to for the rest of my life would feel awkward and self-conscious around me.”  Readers feel the anguish and heartbreak Hazel experiences as she tries to distance herself from her parents to ease their future suffering.  She cries “I’m a grenade… I just want to stay away from people and read books and think and be with you guys because there’s nothing I can do about hurting you.”   It is through this rollercoaster of emotions that young Hazel begins the courageous journey of growth and acceptance.  These startling, but authentic admissions capture what many cancer patients endure and will tug at readers’ heartstrings.

As Hazel and Gus play off each other through their playful banter, the witty and exciting dialogue shared between will keep readers’ interest.  The dialogue also provides readers with a window into the Hazel and Gus’s budding relationship.  Green also uses language that captures the way teenagers think and talk, which helps young readers make a connection to the story’s main characters.  For example, Gus says things such as “I was, like, the prototypical white Hoosier kid” and “Dude, pillows don’t break.”   After Hazel awakens from a recent hospitalization, readers see her thought process as she observes things around her in real-time: “My lungs [were] swimming in fluid, a liter and a half (!!!!) of which had been successfully drained from my chest, which was why I might feel a slight discomfort in my side, where there was, hey look at that, a tube that went from my chest into a plastic bladder half full of liquid…”

The plot is fresh and plausible, and tackles the serious issue of teenagers fighting cancer.  Although readers may hope that a miracle cure is found to save Hazel and Gus, the plot quietly stresses that their final outcome will be terminal.  Instead, Green focuses on building Hazel and Gus’s relationship as they help one another through the difficult phases of the cancer fight.  A plot twist is revealed when readers learn that Gus’ cancer has returned and that he may, in fact, die before Hazel does. 

Readers are also surprised when the story shifts from Indianapolis, Indiana to Amsterdam, Netherlands, as Hazel and Gus visit her favorite author, Van Houten.  Amsterdam is vividly described as it serves as the backdrop where Hazel and Gus truly fall in love.  Hazel describes “There were elm trees everywhere along the canals, and these seeds were blowing out of them.  But they didn’t look like seeds.  They looked for all the world like miniaturized rose petals drained of their color… we arrived at a street split by a beautiful canal, the reflections of the ancient bridge and picturesque canal houses rippling in water.”  Green’s story is set in the present, as references to contemporary shows and movies, such as American’s Next Top Model and V for Vendetta, are made.  This helps to make the story believable for his audience.

The theme of searching for identity and meaning in life is prevalent throughout the book.  Gus often questions what kind of legacy he will leave behind after his death and how his life will impact others.  Hazel struggles with her role within her family and how her death will effect her parents.  The idea that love, family and friendship endure even through hardships is also interwoven throughout the story.  Hazel leans on her parents and Gus after a sudden hospitalization while the roles are reversed when Gus’ cancer returns.  Also, both Hazel and Gus help their friend Isaac recover from the emotional heartbreak he endures after his girlfriend abandons him when he loses his sight.  Despite the difficult obstacles they must overcome, both Hazel and Gus must grow up quickly and make peace with the bleak outcomes that will surely follow.   

Perhaps the strength of this book is Green’s superb writing style and use of descriptive metaphors.  Eloquent sentences such as “I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once” and “The sun was a toddler insistently refusing to go to bed: It was past eight thirty and still light” will leave readers mesmerized.  They serve as the author’s distinct stamp on the book and reflect his perceptive, compassionate personality.

4.  REVIEW EXCERPTS

BOOKLIST: "Beautifully conceived and executed, this story artfully examines the largest possible considerations- life, love, and death-with sensitivity, intelligence, honesty, and integrity. In the process, Green shows his readers what it is like to live with cancer, sometimes no more than a breath or a heartbeat away from death. But it is life that Green spiritedly celebrates here, even while acknowledging its pain. In its every aspect, this novel is a triumph."

KIRKUS: "Green's signature style shines: His carefully structured dialogue and razor-sharp characters brim with genuine intellect, humor and desire. He takes on Big Questions that might feel heavy handed in the words of any other author: What do oblivion and living mean? Then he deftly parries them with humor... Dog-earing of pages will no doubt ensue. Green seamlessly bridges the gap between the present and the existential, and readers will need more than one box of tissues to make it through Hazel and Gus' poignant journey."

5.  CONNECTIONS

-Have students read other young adult novels that deal with characters battling cancer:

Ackley, Amy.  SIGN LANGUAGE.  ISBN  0670013188

Gurler, Janet.  I'M NOT HER.  ISBN  1402256361

Wylie, Sarah.  ALL THESE LIVES.  ISBN  0374302081

- Read other novels written by John Green

Green, John.  AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES.  ISBN  0142410705

Green, John.  LOOKING FOR ALASKA.  ISBN  0142402516

Green, John.  PAPER TOWNS.  ISBN  014241493X

- Show students the book trailer for THE FAULT IN OUR STARS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=G4BCKLbRHTM

Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

1.  BIBLIOGRAPHY

Krosoczka, J.  2009.  LUNCH LADY AND THE LEAGUE OF LIBRARIANS.  New York: Random House.  ISBN  9780375846847

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

It's a normal day at school when a group of three students, known as the Breakfast Bunch, notice the school librarian, Mrs. Page, acting mean and suspicious.  After discovering a secret meeting between Mrs. Page and other librarians, the Breakfast Bunch reports it to the Lunch Lady and her sidekick, Betty.  In their secret lair, the Boiler Room, Lunch Lady and Betty discover that this group of deceptive librarians, who've dubbed themselves the League of Librarians, are out for world domination: they plan to destroy all video games since they believe video games corrupt children's minds and discourage them from reading.  The League of Librarians plan to intercept and destroy a shipment of the newly released X-Station 5000 video game console that will be arriving later that night.  However, the Lunch Lady and sidekick Betty foil their plans and stop the evil League of Librarians with their hilarious cafeteria-inspired weapons.  

3.  CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Readers young and old will enjoy the entertaining characters and the wonderful fantasy world Krosoczka has created in this hilarious and enjoyable graphic novel.  The Lunch Lady, sidekick Betty, and the Breakfast Bunch are modeled after individuals students encounter in their everyday school lives.  The Lunch Lady and sidekick Betty are drawn and portrayed as lively, enthusiastic characters, saying humorous things like “Things are about to get applesaucey!” and "Great Tuna!"  The mischievous League of Librarians are given unique names that cleverly reflect book features:  Edna Bibliosa, Vivian Bookwormer, Jane Shelver, and Rhonda Page.  To further emphasize their deceitful personalities, they are drawn with scowling faces and evil smiles.  The Break Bunch kids- Dee, Terrance, and Howard- are seen participating in activities many of today’s young readers engage in, such as visiting the school library and waiting in the school cafeteria line.  Readers will also identify with the Breakfast Bunch kids since Dee loves to read and Terrance and Howard enjoy playing video games.  Krosoczka ensures that their dialect captures the relaxed language children use in their everyday lives.  By creating characters children can relate and identify with, Krosoczka brings a fun and believable, low-level fantasy world to life.

Short, simple sentences as well as the use of action frames drive the momentum of the story forward.  As readers quickly turn the pages, they see the characters interact and communicate with each other through speech balloons.  It is through their dialogue that the plot unfolds.  Readers are also greeted with different size storyboard panels, accented in yellow, black, white, and gray colors.  The story is firmly planted in reality before elements of fantasy are revealed.  Krosoczka's creative use of ordinary lunch items as Lunch Lady's arsenal of weapons is hilarious and keeps readers' interest.  Weapons such as the Linguini Lasso, the Smoke Can of Peas, and the Electronic Bananarang are used to stop the League of Librarians from destroying the new shipment of the X-Station 5000.  Fantasy is also used in the weapons the League of Librarians wield against the Lunch Lady.  They bring the characters and villains of several books to life by cracking the novels open and yelling out their titles.  Young readers will delight in seeing characters from The Three Little Pigs, The Call of the Wild, and Alice in Wonderland magically emerge to join the epic showdown between the Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians.  As the action unfolds, readers will be drawn in to the story and anxious to read what happens next.

The storyboard panels are also used to show the different locations where the plot unfolds: the school library and cafeteria, the public library, and the city docks.  These drawings are critical in helping readers visualize the school's surroundings and emphasize present-day reality.  The school settings also serve to make the plot and characters believable in children's minds.

The theme of good triumphing over evil is depicted in this graphic novel.  Krosoczka does a wonderful job of showing the triumphs and trials the Lunch Lady and her sidekick Betty experience during their  showdown with the League of Librarians.  Readers see the Lunch Lady crashing to the ground and her sidekick's Celery Staff destroyed by the powerful jaws of a wolf as both are overpowered by the League of Librarian's magical weapons.  Although things look bleak for the Lunch Lady and her sidekick, they are rescued by the Breakfast Bunch kids and together, are able to capture the evading villains.  This gives readers a satisfying conclusion as they realize hope and victory can still prevail in the face of evil.

4.  REVIEW EXCERPTS

COOPERATIVE CHILDREN'S BOOK CENTER CHOICES: "Jarrett Krosoczka's new graphic novel series, rendered in black, white, and yellow, inspires laughter in everything from its wild premise to clever details that extend the pleasure in countless ways."

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “With its appealing mix of action and humor, this clever, entertaining addition to the series should have wide appeal.”

5.  CONNECTIONS

- Invite students to read the other graphic novels in the Lunch Lady series:

Krosoczka, Jarrett J.  LUNCH LADY AND THE CYBORG SUBSTITUTE.  ISBN  0375846832

Krosoczka, Jarrett J.  LUNCH LADY AND THE AUTHOR VISIT VENDETTA.  ISBN  0375860940

Krosoczka, Jarrett J.  LUNCH LADY AND THE SUMMER CAMP SHAKEDOWN.  ISBN 9780375860959

Krosoczka, Jarrett J.  LUNCH LADY AND THE BAKE SALE BANDIT.   ISBN  0375867295

Krosoczka, Jarrett J.  LUNCH LADY AND THE FIELD TRIP FIASCO.  ISBN  0375867309

Krosoczka, Jarrett J.  LUNCH LADY AND THE MUTANT MATHLETES.  ISBN  0375870288

Krosoczka, Jarrett J.  LUNCH LADY AND THE PICTURE DAY PERIL.  ISBN  0375870350

Krosoczka, Jarrett J.  LUNCH LADY AND THE VIDEO GAME VILLAIN.  ISBN  0307980790

Show the following book trailer to capture their interest in the series:   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=bWLFSW839tY

- Have students celebrate "School Lunch Superhero Day" on May 3rd and show their recognition and appreciation for all the cafeteria staff do to keep students healthy.  See a message from author Jarrett J. Krosoczka to learn more about what inspired this event:  

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=NrYfuGvjuN8#!

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

1.  BIBLIOGRAPHY

Stead, Rebecca.  2009.  WHEN YOU REACH ME.  New York: Random House.  ISBN  9780385737425

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

It is 1978, and twelve-year old Miranda is helping her mother prepare for the biggest event in her life: appearing as a contestant on Dick Clark's game show The $20,000 Pyramid.  After a fall out with her best friend, Sal, Miranda befriends a shy girl named Annemarie and the happy, easy-going Colin.  Their friendship builds when they work at a neighborhood sandwich shop in exchange for free cheese sandwiches.  Suddenly, a series of mysterious notes find their way into Miranda's house, with each one predicting future events no one could possibly know about.  Unable to tell others what is happening, Miranda tries to figure out who the writer of the ominous notes could be.  An incredible and unexpected plot twist is revealed at the story's conclusion.

3.  CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This first-person perspective used in this low-level fantasy novel allows readers to delve into the mind of the story’s main character, twelve-year old Miranda.  Readers get an intimate glimpse of the thoughts, opinions, and feelings she experiences as Stead solidly develops her character with qualities many young readers will be able to identify with.  For example, she worries about what her friends will think of her run-down New York City apartment; she wonders why certain people in school act the way they do; and she develops feelings for  her friend, Colin.  Readers also learn she has an witty sense of humor when she quips “[Wheelie] fished a warm Bit-O-Honey out of her pocket and gave it to me right there in front of the dentist… you might as well whack your own teeth with a wrench.”  They also see the honest, contemplative side of Miranda emerge when she confesses “I was miserable, sitting on the edge of the bed in a puddle of meanness.  But I couldn’t help it.  I didn’t want Annemarie’s rose to be from Colin.”   Miranda also does not like being thought of as a child, as seen in a intense shouting argument that occurs with her mother.  By creating a multi-dimensional character who encompasses many of the same thoughts and emotions teenagers identify with, young readers will feel a kinship with Miranda and care about what happens to her.

As Miranda tries to guess the author of the mysterious notes, Stead masterfully weaves the element of fantasy throughout the plot, which occurs in the real world, and does not reveal the crucial element until the book's closing chapters.  This allows for a believable storyline to lay the groundwork for the unexpected plot twist that will be unveiled.  Hints of time travel are subtly placed as the plot unfolds: Miranda's all-time favorite book is A Wrinkle In Time, which she endlessly discusses with her friend, Louisa; she also engages in several conversations with her friends Marcus and Julia about whether time travel is possible, and how it can be done.  As they discuss the characters in  A Wrinkle In Time, Marcus goes on to say "They're traveling through time, right?  All over the universe, right?"  Because of Miranda's strong characterization, readers experience the same intrigue and confusion she endures as she tries to piece the possibilities together.  

Although not pivotal to the plot, New York City serves as the setting of the story.  As Miranda and Sal walk home from school, references to streets such as West End Avenue and Broadway are mentioned to place the characters in the city.  Readers learn from the dialogue shared between Miranda and her friends that the story takes place in 1978 and 1979; the passage of time is mentioned as Miranda refers to holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day.  
 

The timeless themes of love for family and friends as well as lending a helping hand are skillfully woven throughout the text.  The theme of helping a friend in need is evident when Miranda and Julia help their friend Annemarie recover from an absence seizure by calmly engaging each other in conversation and allowing Annemarie to join in when the episode is over.  Friends also come to the rescue when they save Sal from a deadly run-in with a delivery truck.  The love for family comes through as Miranda tirelessly works to help her mother prepare for her debut on The $20,000 Pyramid game show.  This theme is further emphasized when Miranda realizes "the grass isn't necessarily greener on the other side."  After visiting Julia's extravagant and affluent home, Miranda notices that Julia's mother is noticeably absent; readers are told that she is meditating in a luxurious walk-in closet.  Miranda remarks "I realized that [Julia and I] probably spent our afternoons the same exact way.  Except I can at least get my mother on the phone.  Julia's apartment is a lot nicer than ours, but I'm pretty sure there's no phone in the closet."   It is only then that Miranda's character begins to grow as she realizes how blessed she truly is.

Stead keeps readers' interest in the book's well-paced storyline by using short chapters and realistic character dialogue.  The language used by the teenage characters is authentic and appropriate for both children and young adults.  She adds her own touch to the story by cleverly naming several chapters after the game show's categories such as "Things That Go Missing" and "Things That Turn Upside Down."  To accentuate the excitement and suspense of the story's climax, Stead uses a numbered list to detail Miranda's observations of the events as they occur.  This keeps readers engaged as they quickly read through the list of events to find out what happens next.  This also emphasizes the first-person perspective the story is told through; as Miranda is watching the suspenseful events transpire, readers are following along in real-time.  In the author's acknowledgements, Stead cites Madeleine L'Engle's books as serving as the inspiration for the story.  Young readers will enjoy this well-written and intriguing story as they try and piece together who wrote those mysterious letters.

4.  EXCERPT REVIEWS

2010 Newbery Medal Award Winner

CHILDREN'S LITERATURE: " Charmingly eccentric and impossible to categorize, this middle grade novel pays homage to Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time while employing many of that book's elements as it crisscrosses the boundaries between reality and fantasy, time travel and mystery... The movement between the ordinary and the fantastic creates a kind of magical realism, in which the extraordinary is every bit as acceptable as the everyday. Amusing, bemusing and occasionally plain puzzling, this book works its way to a deliciously twisty ending. It is an interesting, multi-layered book that can be read and interpreted at many levels."

KIRKUS: "Keen readers will notice Stead toying with time from the start, as Miranda writes in the present about past events that will determine her future. Some might guess at the baffling, heart-pounding conclusion, but when all the sidewalk characters from Miranda's Manhattan world converge amid mind-blowing revelations and cunning details, teen readers will circle back to the beginning and say, 'Wow...cool.' "

THE BULLETIN FOR THE CENTER OF CHILDREN'S BOOKS:  "Though the book seems initially like a low-key and solid school and family story, Stead gives it her own original spin with the ongoing thread of mystery that blossoms into a science-fiction revelation. That element never takes over the story, though, which is firmly rooted in Miranda's daily-life travails, especially her complex negotiation with peers... The prose is streamlined and easygoing, while Miranda's New York life is richly peopled and authentically urban; touches of quirky humor add energy to a subtly constructed story of individual growth."

5.  CONNECTIONS

- Have students further explore fantasy and science fiction by reading Madeleine L'Engle's time series books.  Similarities and differences can be discussed to tie common elements found in fantasy novels together.

L'Engle, Madeleine.  A WRINKLE IN TIME.  ISBN  0374386161

L'Engle, Madeleine.  A WIND IN THE DOOR.  ISBN  0312368542

L'Engle, Madeleine.  A SWIFTLY TILTING PLANET.  ISBN  0312368569

L'Engle, Madeleine.  MANY WATERS.  ISBN  0312368577

L'Engle, Madeleine.  AN ACCEPTABLE TIME.   ISBN  0312368585

- Have students create a scale model of their home, school, or neighborhoods just like the one Miranda and her classmates built in the story.  Have students take on the role of mayor, city commissioners, architects as they map out and design their models.  This would be a wonderful tie-in when studying ratios and proportions in mathematics.

-  Show an episode from the game show The $20,000 Pyramid hosted by Dick Clark.  Then have students create their own categories to quiz each other over material they may be tested over.  Categories can be geared towards specific class subjects and chapters such as science, history, social studies, etc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnTwDQnIr60

The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages

1.   BIBLIOGRAPHY

Klages, Ellen.  2006.  THE GREEN GLASS SEA.  New York:  Viking.  ISBN  0670061344

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

After her grandmother suffers a stroke, ten-year-old Dewey Kerrigan is sent to New Mexico to live with her father, who has been working on a government secret project the last few months.  For the next few years, Dewey finds herself in the company of world-class scientists, chemists, physicists, and mathematicians, all of whom are working on "the gadget" at the army's secret location, known only as "The Hill."  After a tragic accident, Dewey is left in the care of her classmate Suze Gordon's family.  As the two forge an unlikely friendship, they enjoy the fun and excitement of discovering new things, but also endure tremendous loss and pain.  When "the gadget" is finally completed, both girls begin to question what the future holds in a world where the atomic bomb now exists.

3.  CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Klages brings the story of the Manhatten Project to life through two memorable and well-developed  characters - Dewey Kerrigan and Suze Gordon.  Dewey is a shy, quiet ten-year old girl who loves science and engineering.  Because she is the new kid in school, she is often shunned by the other kids, and instead enjoys studying the workings of radios and clocks as well as building action figures made of odd mechanical parts.  Suze, on the other hand, is a tough, independent tomboy who longs to be liked by the popular crowd at school.  In her attempts to try and impress the popular girls, she  sneaks past military patrol officers,  climbs over a sharp steel fence, and nearly kills herself in the process.  Young readers will be able to identify with both characters because they can relate to the feelings and hardships they endure.  Some readers can relate to Dewey because they may know how it feels to be shy around new people or uncomfortable in new surroundings.  Young readers will also be able to identify with Suze because they know the importance of feeling loved and being accepted by others.  By bringing out their vulnerable qualities, Klages  provides a very intimate portrayal of the main characters' lives, and makes it easier for readers to connect and empathize with these two special individuals.

Klages also keeps her characters grounded in the 1940s and World War II era  by dating the clothes and activities the children engage in.  For example, a boy in Dewey's neighborhood is described as "wearing dungarees that ended two inches above his black high-tops," "wore cutoffs ragged at the knees," and wore "t-shirts that had started off white."  As the children play, they speak of the real people and historical events occurring during their time period.  Young girls jumping rope chant "V is for Victory, dot, dot, dash! /Hitler lost his little mustache!/ If you find it, let him know,/And he'll give you a bag of dough!"  while others dance to the "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" that plays over the radio.  Mention of these activities not only place the story in an accurate, historical time frame, but also allows today's readers to relate to the same types of activities they engage in, making the events and characters believable.

The plot is character based and is driven through their interactions and dialogue.  Klages incorporates alternating points of view on the parts of both Dewey and Suze so that intricate details about the characters are brought to light.  For example, through Suze's perspective, readers learn that Dewey is handicapped and walks with a limp.  Through Dewey's perspective, readers learn that many of the neighborhood kids have taken to calling Suze "Truck" behind her back because of her thickset stature and bossy persona.  Readers would have missed out on these tiny, yet important details had it now been for Klages' use of different points-of-view.  As the story unfolds and the characters go about their daily activities, readers learn how people reacted to newsworthy, historical events, such as Truman's announcement of the Germans' surrender, and the death of the beloved President Franklin D. Roosevelt.  After the President's death, Dewey describes the scene: "Women sat on the stoops of the apartment buildings, talking softly, hugging each other, weeping...The sight of an army MP with a rifle in his hands and tears in his eyes was both unsettling and reassuring."  These details personalize the story and accurately capture the emotions experienced by those who lived during the World War II era.   

Although the atomic bomb being  built is always described as "the gadget," readers experience firsthand the bomb's initial testing as well as witness the devastating impact it had on the land.  Through Dewey's description, readers learn "there was a bright light, as bright as the sun...she heard-and felt- a long, low rumble, like distant, alien thunder...The gadget worked."  Later on, after Suze's father takes the family to visit the bomb's test site, Dewey sees "burned spots that looked like little animals, like a bird or a desert mouse had been stenciled black against the hard, flat ground."  This grim description conveys the bomb's destruction on animal life and lets readers infer the kind of impact it will have on human lives.  Although it is not pleasant, it does present the reality of the  bomb's capable destruction to young readers.  Klagues alludes to the what "the gadget" actually is through the comments shared between scientists: "So much for Japan. It'll only take one" and "Cloud looked like a glowing mushroom, eight miles high."  The emotional impact it has on the scientists and researchers is seen as on their faces, "awesome and solemn, as if they had looked into another world."  This adds a powerful human element for those involved in the Manhattan Project.

THE GREEN GLASS SEA takes place in the secretive government area of Los Alamos, New Mexico.  Dewey's description of the scenery paints a clear portrait of the desert atmosphere.  As she travels to her new home, the mountains "look like a layer cake that some giant has cut cleanly with a knife.  Sheer vertical cliffs are striped in horizontal bands of color, layer after layer of crumbly-looking rock, red and pink and brown."  The "warm pinion scented air" filters through the town's "low, beige buildings, shrubs, and cactuses, and narrow, cobblestoned streets."  This vivid description paints a picture of what life was like for those involved in the Manhattan Project.  Mention of quick shopping trips to cities like Santa Fe and Albuquerque also remind readers of the story's desert setting.  To help readers keep track of time, Klages includes specific dates and years at the beginning of several chapters.  This not only helps readers follow the story's timeline, but accurately places the events in the proper time period.

The timeless theme of the importance of family is interwoven throughout the story's plot.  Readers see the value Dewey places in spending quality time with her busy father as they talk quietly in a cave about what life will be like after "the gadget's" completion.  Suze enjoys eating sandwiches and drinking cokes with her  mother, a project chemist, over a fun game of gin.  Also, the importance of 
 helping out others in their time of need is brought to light after Dewey's father passes away in a terrible accident.  The Gordon family volunteers to take care of orphaned Dewey to ensure that she live a stable and happy life.  The need for human love and connection is found in the friendship Dewey and Suze forge despite their contrasting personalities.  
       

The "Author's Note" includes a list of books and movies readers may want to use to learn more about the Manhattan Project.  Although Klages does not cite where she retrieved the historical information  used throughout the book, she does thank the librarians and curators of the Los Alamos Historical Museum, the New Mexico State Library, and the Tularosa Basin Historical Society in Alamogordo in the "Acknowledgment."

4.  REVIEWS

Winner, 2007 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction


BOOKLIST: "The characters are exceptionally well drawn, and the compelling, unusual setting makes a great tie-in for history classes."

     
THE HORN BOOK: "Klages evokes both the big-sky landscape of the Southwest and a community where “everything is secret” with inviting ease and the right details, focusing particularly on the society of the children who live there....the story, an intense but accessible page-turner, firmly belongs to the girls and their families; history and story are drawn together with confidence."

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "Clear prose brings readers right into the unusual atmosphere of the secretive scientific community, seen through the eyes of the kids and their families. Dewey is an especially engaging character, plunging on with her mechanical projects and ignoring any questions about gender roles. Occasional shifts into first person highlight the protagonist's most emotional moments."

5.  CONNECTIONS

-While away on a trip, Dewey's father writes her a letter in code language to reveal his whereabouts and activities.  Have students write a letter to another classmate written in a code similar to the one Mr. Kerrigan used in his letter to Dewey. 

-Have students continue the story of Dewey and Suze by reading Klages' sequel to the novel:
Klages, Ellen.  WHITE SANDS, RED MENACE.  ISBN  0142415189

-Include other historical novels that incorporate the atomic bomb:

Lawton, Clive.  HIROSHIMA: THE STORY OF THE FIRST ATOM BOMB.  ISBN  0763622710 

Yep, Laurence. HIROSHIMA. ISBN 0590208330