Willie Bea and the Time the Martians Landed

Virginia Hamilton. Simon Pulse, $3.95 (208pp) ISBN 978-0-689-71328-6

In Xenia, Ohio, in 1938, Orson Welles's famous War of the Worlds radio broadcast throws a black girl and her family into confusion, in Hamilton's deftly entertaining work. Ages 9-12. (Oct.)

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