Red Scare: A Graphic Novel
| Modern Age |
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 Red Scare: A Graphic Novel
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| Content Warning |
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| ableism, violence towards children, mob violence |
A page-turning sci-fi adventure set in 1953, featuring a clever girl who, against all odds, must outsmart bullies, the FBI, and alien invaders during the height of the communist Red Scare.
The New York Times Book Review calls Red Scare a “masterly graphic novel debut… tightly wrought, intense, unpredictable… breathtaking action sequences… pacing is remarkable… a virtuosic performance.”
"Red Scare is a brilliant, fast-paced adventure. Action, history, and a tiny bit of fantasy collide in eye-popping panels, loaded with heart." -- Max Brallier, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Kids on Earth series
Peggy is scared: She's struggling to recover from polio and needs crutches to walk, and she and her neighbors are worried about the rumors of Communist spies doing bad things. On top of all that, Peggy has a hard time at school, and gets taunted by her classmates. When she finds a mysterious artifact that gives her the ability to fly, she thinks it's the solution to all her problems. But if Peggy wants to keep it, she'll have to overcome bullies, outsmart FBI agents, and escape from some very strange spies!
Emily's Review
I love historical graphic novels and this one ticked all the boxes for me - great protagonist, fleshed-out historical time period, a hint of sci-fi, and loads of action!
I really liked Peggy as the protagonist, she reminded me of Meg from A Wrinkle in Time. At the beginning of the story, she complains a lot about how her life isn't fair. She is bullied at school by kids who act like her polio might be contagious, she's frustrated at her body for not healing faster and needing the help of crutches, and she's dealing with a lot of difficulty with her father. He hasn't been the same since returning from the Korean War. She struggles but finds out over the course of the story that she is stronger than she ever thought. Oh, and did I mention she finds a magic alien object that gives her superpowers and now spies and government agents after her?
I also really loved the message of this book. The author did a really great job of portraying the realities of the 1950s, not the idealized version so many people believed it to have been. Communist witch hunts, the struggles of returning soldiers from war overseas, the polio epidemic, honestly, a lot of it felt eerily similar to today's America. The story reminds us that we've been here before, and we can learn to do better.
Because of the mature nature of the story, I think this would be best for kids ages 10 and up.
Other Similar Books
Other suggestions on the subject of McCarthyism and the Red Scare.
- Red Scare: A Graphic Novel (by: Walsh, Liam Francis, UMG, YA)
- Commie Pinko (by: Nichols Lynch, Janet, YA)
- Last Night at the Telegraph Club (by: Nichols Lo, Malinda, YA, A)
Other suggestions on the subject of the Cold War.
- Red Scare: A Graphic Novel (by: Walsh, Liam Francis, United States, UMG, YA)
- A Night Divided (by: Nielson, Jennifer A., East Germany, UMG)
- The Story That Cannot Be Told (by: Kramer, J. Kasper, Romania, UMG)
- Last Night at the Telegraph Club (by: Nichols Lo, Malinda, United States, YA, A)
- The Witch Who Came in from the Cold (by: Smith, Lindsay, Czechoslovakia, YA)
- Commie Pinko (by: Nichols Lynch, Janet, United States, YA)
- Sekret (by: Smith, Lindsay, Soviet Union, YA)
- Skandal (by: Smith, Lindsay, Soviet Union, United States, YA)
- Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown (by: Sheinkin, Steve, United States, YA)
- I Must Betray You (by: Sepetys, Ruta, Romania, YA, A)
- The Berlin Letters (by: Reay, Katherine, Germany, United States, A)