Module 7: Informational Nonfiction/Biography: Aliens are Coming: The True Account of the 1938 War of the Worlds Radio Broadcasts

Summary: Aliens are coming! recounts the story of Orson Welles' fateful radio broadcast that brought panic to many.

Citation: McCarthy, M. Aliens are coming!: The true account of the 1938 War of the worlds radio broadcast. New York: Knopf.

My Thoughts: I am a loyal listener to Prairie Home Companion and enjoy reliving the beginnings of the media explosion through radio's early days. Aliens are coming! is a wonderful book about an accident of effectiveness and exciting to enjoy. I do still feel remorseful for those negatively affected, however.

Reviews:

Jesse Karp (Booklist, Feb. 1, 2006 (Vol. 102, No. 11)

In an average American living room of 1938, folks gather around the radio for a night's entertainment, when there's a new bulletin: "Aliens are coming!" Orson Welles' infamous Halloween trick, his October 30 broadcast of H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds, is greatly excerpted and put together with quirky, imaginative artwork that reinforces the fantasy. McCarthy sets the scene in a preface, ostensibly delivered by a radio commentator, and clearly identifies the speakers in colored type before each quote. Using a 1930's art style, and a palette comprising mostly muted grays and reds, McCarthy evokes an era gone by, at the same time creating a cozy nostalgia. Even somewhat older, media savvy kids, who may view the gullibility of the characters with a disdainful eye, will be disarmed by the depictions of panicked faces and slimy Martians, eyes on stalks, that appear amid eerie red light. An abrupt ending notwithstanding, this is packed with age-appropriate thrills and scares. A lengthy author's note includes necessary background on both figures. Category: Books for the Young--Nonfiction. 2006, Knopf, $16.95, $18.99. Gr. 1-3.

Bruce Adelson, J.D. (Children's Literature)

When I first saw this book, I was skeptical. After all, a children’s book about the 1938 Invasion from Mars spoof radiobroadcast that made Orson Wells famous? Why would this story be attractive for young readers? This reviewer is delighted to admit the error of his preconceptions. The author has done a marvelous job of bringing that famous radio play to life, in a way that is perfect, and not frightening, for children. She deftly recounts the story, using quotations from the actual broadcast, and bright, eerie illustrations to tell the tale. Indeed, her storytelling is quite gripping--effectively leaving young readers on the edge of their seats, much the same way radio listeners were glued to their sets in 1938. The author also provides excellent context for the broadcast. She explains that radio was the main source of home entertainment in the 1930s. She uses an Author’s Note to further explain the times surrounding the broadcast, also describing how history repeated itself in 1974 when a Rhode Island radio station presented H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds, and reprised Orson Wells’ technique. This is a truly excellent title, deserving of a special place in libraries of all kinds. 2006, Alfred A. Knopf, $16.95. Ages 5 to 10.

Suggested Uses: Aliens are Coming lends itself to a Reader's Theater presentation of Orson Well's classic radio broadcast, sounds effects included. It could also be used as an anchor book for a unit on great hoaxes, albeit unintentional, in this case.