Radio Girl - Hardcover

Brendler, Carol

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0823428613 ISBN 13: 9780823428618

Publisher: Holiday House, 2013

Synopsis

Can a girl from a middle-class Irish Catholic family living in Newark, New Jersey, in 1938 find fame and fortune (or even a job) as a radio star?

Tune in to this unforgettable historical novel to find out. Poignant, often hilarious, it's the story of a family in crisis. Just as artful deception, smoke and mirrors characterize radio reality, so lies, secrets, and profound misunderstandings mark fourteen-year-old Cece Maloney's life: her secret job at a radio station, a cheating father, an aunt who may be romantically involved with the parish priest, a boy-crazed best friend, and a ham radio operator and would-be soldier both lying to their parents. The worlds collide on the night of Orson Welle's famous "The War of the Worlds" broadcast. As thousands flee in panic from the alleged Martian invasion, Cece must expose the truth about the radio hoax and confront the truth about her own and he family's dishonesty.

About this title

About the Author

CAROL BRENDLER is the author of Winnie Finn, Worm Farmer, a picture book illustrated by Ard Hoyt. She has a master's degree in writing for children and young adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. This is her first novel. She lives in Illinois.

From School Library Journal

Gr 5-7–New Jerseyite Cecelia Maloney is a girl with a plan. She wants to be a radio star and work in New York City just like her father, a sound-effects technician, even though her mother disapproves of her being in show business. The epitome of moxie, Cece won't let anything stop her from realizing her dream to be famous by her next birthday, even if that involves “sinning.” She skips church, lies to everyone but her best friends, and steals transportation money from her family's rainy-day jar. Her good-natured pluck lands her a part-time job as a copygirl at CBS and an encounter with her idol, Orson Welles. Excitement over her budding career prevents her from picking up signals of trouble between her parents. Life at home and work collide in a twofold climax: Cece learns of her father's affair with a radio starlet, and when Welles's “War of the Worlds” broadcast panics the city, Cece must confess how she knows it is a hoax. Debut novelist Brendler has created a funny, appealing protagonist with expressions full of the hyperbole one would expect from a 14-year-old with a penchant for melodrama: “his voice would broadcast itself into my heart.” This engaging, detailed novel vividly depicts Depression-era lifestyles and the world of old-time radio. The best feature is a fresh take on the 1938 broadcast for readers familiar with the event and an intriguing introduction for those who are new to it.–Marybeth Kozikowski, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NYα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Edition details

• Publisher: Holiday House
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0823428613
• ISBN 13: 9780823428618
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 224