Spooked!: How a Radio Broadcast and The War of the Worlds Sparked the 1938 Invasion of America

Jarrow writes fascinating and well-researched narrative nonfiction about little-known periods in history. This latest book is about Orson Welles's 1938 dramatized radio broadcast of H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds, which sparked a panic. Or did it?

From Welles's childhood and rise to fame, to worldwide events preceding World War II that contributed to the results, to the effect of radio and the reaction of newspapers, Jarrow has written an excellent account of the phenomena that is enshrined in popular myth and history as a major panic, demonstrating the gullibility of the American people. Readers will learn that fake news and hoaxes are certainly no new phenomena and perhaps even reflect on their own media consumption.

But, will there be show more readers? I found this fascinating - I knew of the Welles broadcast in a general way, although I'd never learned more details about it. I enjoyed the way Jarrow starts out with an attention-grabbing story of invasion and ends with the careers of those involved; many were blacklisted during the red scares and eventually moved away from the entertainment industry. She also did a great job of carefully researching her sources and evaluating the studies and reasons why newspapers hyped the effects, as well as how it affects news today. Unfortunately, I've found that Calkins Creek titles don't get a wide range of readers. They're textually fairly challenging, requiring a fluent and mature reader. Ideally, I'd give them to middle schoolers but there just aren't that many middle schoolers willing or able to read a thoughtful nonfiction title on an obscure historical event, no matter how well-written it is.

Verdict: I'm glad this is available in my system, but I can't justify buying it. I will probably pull it for 5th grade inquiry topics - some kids have chosen "hoaxes" in the past and this would be ideal - and see if that generates enough interest to make it worth purchasing.

ISBN: 9781629797762; Published 2018 by Calkins Creek; Borrowed from another library in my consortium show less

Literary Merit: Great
Characterization: N/A
Recommended: Yes
Level: Gr. 9-12

I remember hearing about this radio broadcast in high school. This story was one of the reasons I became interested in history. The story was fascinating and relevant. Gail Jarrow did an excellent job of illustrating the panic and fear of that night. I would highly recommend this book to any high school student, whether they like history or not. The pictures are beautiful! Jarrow's layout of the book is appealing. The headings are easy to follow. Finally, the use of primary sources was perfect!