Thank you for visiting.
This content is exclusive to subscribers only.
As a digital subscriber, you’ll receive unlimited access to Horn Book web exclusives and extensive archives, as well as access to our highly searchable Guide/Reviews Database.
To access other site content, visit The Horn Book homepage.
Log In
Don't have a Horn Book Account?
Register Now
Register Now
Los Alamos (NM)
3 Reviews
(1)
4-6
In 1943, ten-year-old Dewey's dad is working at Los Alamos with hundreds of other scientists and their families. Klages evokes both the big-sky landscape of the Southwest and a community where "everything is secret," focusing on the society of the children who live there. History and story are drawn together with confidence in this intense but accessible page-turner.
Reviewer: Roger Sutton
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 2006
(3)
4-6
In this well-crafted first novel, Hazel and her parents live in Los Alamos, New Mexico, because of her father's work on the Manhattan Project, where security precautions and hastily transferred lives are described in convincing detail. Her mother's pacifism and her friends' exploits with amateur radio and other risks complicate Hazel's emerging ethos; though her family returns home to New Jersey in the end, they'll never be the same.
Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian
(4)
YA
Living at Los Alamos in 1945, Stephen is intrigued by the secret work his scientist father is doing for the government. With his new friend Alexei, Stephen sneaks off to witness the first atomic bomb test in the desert. The novel features a fast-paced, undemanding portrait of a historically important era, though several aspects of the plot--particularly one involving a spy ring--remain underdeveloped.
Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta
3 reviews
We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing.