I often wander through the tween and teen read shelves at Village Books. The Green Glass Sea, by Ellen Klages was 'the find' one day. This is a tween read about a young girl living in a city that didn't exist while her father worked on a top secret project that no one was supposed to talk about. (It's known only as 'the gadget'). It is 1943 and Dewey Kerrigan has been put on a train heading west to join her father, not knowing exactly where it is she is going. As a 'sciency' kid (she's 11, and a girl) she finds she is actually quite happy in this environment as there are many interesting people who will talk to her. It is a great blend of real and imaginary characters. I've enjoyed it every time I've read it so I think other adults will too.

Written for slightly older readers, Bomb: the Race to Build and Steal the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinken tells more of the story of the atomic bomb. It involves the British and American scientists working on 'the gadget', Soviet spies infiltrating these facilities, and, from Norway, a commando force sneaking behind enemy lines in an effort to damage or destroy a German heavy-water manufacturing site. It's an exciting read, and again, one I think will appeal to adults as well as the targeted reading age.

The Girls of Atomic City: the Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II, by Denise Kierman was written for adults. In Oak Ridge, Tennessee a large 'secret' city was constructed. Thousands of people, many of them young women, worked on 'The Project' that would end World War II. They were not supposed to talk about their work (and could be dismissed for doing so), and often times only knew what they did, but not what happened at the next step. It was both an inspiring and troubling book about a nearly forgotten part of U.S. History.

I remember the duck and cover drills. And wondering what good it was to get under a desk ....

Reading Hermit with Dog