The Night the Martians Landed: Just the Facts (Plus the Rumors) About Invaders from Mars

Grade 4-7-In simple, informal prose and large text, Krull relates the story of the notorious 1938 radio broadcast of an adaptation of H. G. Wells's The War of the Worlds. The whimsical cover art and cartoon illustrations featuring octopuslike Martians will no doubt draw in readers and help sustain their attention. The author presumes readers have no prior knowledge of the legendary performance by Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre Players or of the historical context that contributed to the subsequent panic. Much of this supporting information is related through sidebars, which saves the lively narrative from becoming pedantic. By drawing a parallel between the nascent medium of radio in the 1930s and the Internet today, Krull introduces some timelessly relevant points about media literacy and critical thinking as she gently compels readers to consider the psychological dynamic that could make so many interpret fiction as fact, both then and now. This fast-paced, fun historical treatment is an alien invasion in itself; a cunning educational sneak attack on the often impenetrably apathetic atmosphere of the dreaded "Planet Kid."-Jeffrey Hastings, Highlander Way Middle School, Howell, MI
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