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It
is 1943, and 11 year old Dewey Kerrigan is once again uprooted to follow
her scientist father….this time to a remote area in New Mexico. When
she reaches Los Alamos she finds that everything is a secret…locked doors,
many hushed voices discussing the “Gadget”, and lots of places that are
signed as off limits. It’s as if the rest of the world has forgotten
anyone here exists. Dewey is lonely as her father is working long
hours and he is her best friend after all. He’s the one who taught
her how to be mechanical and he has always been there for her, even when
her mother walked out on her when she was just a baby. So Dewey is
left to fend for herself among the other kids on base…and that’s not so
easy for someone considered a bit strange. Dewey soon has issues
with Suze Gordon, a popular girl who makes fun of Dewey any chance she
gets. And things only get worse when Dewey’s dad is called away and
she is taken in by Suze’s parents….can she live with a girl who draws a
line down the middle of her bedroom to keep Dewey’s JUNK out of her area?
Will these two kill each other or become friends? Will the “gadget”
work? And if so, will that end the war? This is a sweet and
sometimes sad historical tale of how the children of Los Alamos grew up
under the shadow the war. It is also a story of two girls who learn
that true friends sometimes come from the oddest places. Be prepared
with some tissues as you finish this one. (Isinglass Book Award committee,
2007-2008) |