Radio Rescue - Hardcover

Barasch, Lynne

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0374361665 ISBN 13: 9780374361662

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), 2000

Synopsis

2AZK saves the day!

Back in 1923, a long-distance telephone call took hours to place, and overseas calls weren't possible at all. But a new invention, called wireless radio, permitted instant communication over long distances. A young boy, itching to get involved, buys a secondhand receiver and earphones, and studies hard to learn Morse code so that he can pass the test to qualify as an amateur radio operator and get his own station: 2AZK. Its fun talking with people all over the world just by tapping on his telegraph key (and readers can tap along - there's Morse code to follow in the pictures). Then one night he picks up a distress signal from Florida -- family stranded in flood -- and uses his skill for something more important. Based on the author's father's experiences as a young ham operator in the 1920s, Radio Rescue is an exciting story of a moment in technological history.

About this title

About the Author

Lynne Barasch holds a B.F.A. from Parsons School of Design and lives in New York City.

Reviews

Grade 3-5-The year is 1923, and Robert can't wait to get his ham radio license. He practices Morse code wherever he goes, and listens in on radio traffic at every opportunity. When he finally gets his license and his own "shack," Robert spends his evenings communicating with radio operators all over the world. The tale has the slightly meandering quality of a family story-and well it should, as it is based on the memories of Barasch's father, the youngest amateur radio operator to be licensed in the U.S. at the time. Robert's adventures include having a group of sailors show up on his doorstep (not realizing that their radio pal was a 12-year-old boy) and, more dramatically, rescuing a family stranded in a Florida hurricane by passing along radio messages to the Coast Guard. This story will capture the imagination of youngsters, especially modern technophiles, who may be surprised to learn about the global communication spawned by wireless radio long before the Internet. The faded watercolor-and-ink illustrations capture the optimistic spirit of a bygone era and incorporate a good deal of information.
Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, Eldersburg, MD
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Barasch (Old Friends) identifies the hero of this story as her father, who in 1923 at the age of 10 became the youngest licensed amateur wireless radio operator in the United States. The book gets off to a bit of a slow start as Barasch describes the important role that wireless radio played at a time when telephone connections were difficult to make, but it builds to a climactic finish, in which the boy and his radio help to rescue a stranded family in hurricane-pummeled Florida. Writing in the boy's voice, the author conveys the young New Yorker's dedication to his hobby, how he obtains his "ham" license on his second try, purchases the necessary equipment and sets up his own home station with the help of an older neighbor boy and fellow operator. The author concisely describes this method of communication, which kids in today's high-tech world are likely to know little about. A heartening story for aspiring historians and technophiles. Ages 5-up. (Oct.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 2-5. In 1923, a 10-year-old New Yorker became the youngest licensed amateur wireless radio operator. In a clear, first-person voice, the boy describes what Morse code is, how operators used wireless radios to send and receive signals, and his experiences setting up an in-house transmitting station. The boy finds fame when he picks up a signal from Florida hurricane victims and radios for help, and the story concludes with a reproduced newspaper photograph and the full Morse code alphabet. An introductory note reveals that the story is based on the author's father and gives readers background information on the era's telephones and the alternative that the wireless offered, including examples of how Morse code has been used throughout its history. In a well-designed mix of insets, brief sketches, and full-page drawings, the author's uncluttered color cartoons do an excellent job of illustrating the technology and the code, at the same time creating likable, expressive characters. Tehnology-minded children may see parallels between the freedom and excitement of the wireless and the Internet in this engaging read. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0374361665
• ISBN 13: 9780374361662
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Barasch Lynne
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 40