Few kids today are familiar with
the famous War of the Worlds radio
broadcast that terrified the nation back in 1938. But on that Halloween eve,
many Americans did indeed panic when they tuned in to hear their favorite
radio program and instead heard Orson Welles’ realistic radio play warning that
Martians had landed on earth and were taking over. McCarthy’s picture book
explains to today’s tech-savvy and sophisticated youngsters how so many
Americans could be duped by a simple radio performance adapted from the H. G.
Wells’ novel. This is a perfect nonfiction selection to read on the 75th anniversary of the real event; the text is brief and the illustrations include googly-eyed slimy
aliens that are more funny than frightening. Find this book in the Juvenile
Nonfiction section at J 791.447 MCC.
