The Secret Project Notebook

My 10 year old twin boys and I read this on a recent trip to New Mexico. The characters are engaging and realistic. But, we really enjoyed reading about the historical details and then seeing them in the town of Los Alamos and at the Bradbury Science Museum. This really brought history to life for us in a way that was very accessible to my children. It made them realize that it is the story of real people doing real things.

What if you had to move to a place that you didn't even know existed? What if you changed your name? What if you could learn what the military was planning to stop the war? Well, all of this happened to one lucky kid named Fritz (or Franklin). Fritz is moving to a place called Los Alamos. A secret place where scientist try... well, let's let you figure that out. While Fritz is in Los Alamos he meets three friends. 1) Kathy, who never lets him forget about her brother at war. 2) Manny, who shows him most of the wonderful things to discover in Los Alamos and they have a most exciting adventure with the MP's (military police). 3) Jacob who has just escaped Hitler and is hoping to find a new home here. Fritz also meets two mean bullies. Can he defeat the bullies, or will he become shark bait? I recommend this book to people who like historical fiction, mystery, and adventure. Carolyn Reeder is an amazing author and she never stops writing. This is her newest book and I couldn't put it down. (Imagine what would have been like for her when she was writing it!). I could read this book over and over again and still not get tired.