Nothing ever happens in Roswell, New Mexico. Dorothy should know. She’s lived her whole life on a rural ranch nearby, surrounded by the difficult memories from her family’s struggles to make ends meet during the Great Depression years ago. At least her older brother Dwight is home safe from the war. Unfortunately, he’s no better to talk to than her ancient pet sheep, Geraldine.
Thankfully, Dorothy has her experiments, like launching rockets off the top of her windmill. But one stormy night, she sends a gigantic weather balloon into the stratosphere—and an incredible blast lights up the sky. Suddenly, all the newspapers feature a flying saucer crash in their headlines, and the sleepy town of Roswell is alight with gossip and speculation. But what if the so-called extraterrestrial vessel is actually Dorothy’s weather balloon?
When FBI agents start asking questions, she begins to suspect that there’s something out there, something dangerous. Either the government is after her for causing a national scandal, or aliens are real!
Huge spoiler right out of the gate! This story does contain aliens. I share this fact because sometimes a story will imply that something paranormal or supernatural is going to appear, and nothing happens. I’ve been burned before. I want readers to go into this book knowing they won’t be disappointed.
Picture it! Roswell, New Mexico. July 1947.
It was refreshing to read a story that showed what life was like after the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and WWII. What I found the most fascinating was that the story addressed what life was like living so close to where scientists were testing nuclear weapons. I was surprised to learn that it was tested so close to where people lived. I was even more surprised to learn that the testing occurred so close to the Roswell UFO crash site.
It’s no wonder why everyone freaked out when an unidentified flying object crash-landed so close to where scientists experimented with the world’s first nuclear weapon. They were all paranoid that war was going to start again.
Dorothy is quite the character. Her reckless behavior and curious, scientific mind get her into trouble. Dorothy and her brother, Dwight, are both dealing with the grief of losing their parents. Dorothy spends a good portion of the story feeling like a burden to her brother. At the same time, Dwight struggles with the trauma of WWII and keeping his sister out of trouble.
Overall, this story was the perfect blend of historical fiction and science fiction.