Radio Girl

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, NY