Radio Rescue [Hardcover]

Lynne Barasch (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

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.

From School Library Journal

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.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); 1st edition (October 10, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374361665
• ISBN-13: 978-0374361662
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 9.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #985,187 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

For as long as I can remember, drawing was what I did best. I hoped that art school would help me eventually find a way to use this. On the other hand, writing is something I never planned to do. Although I was an enthusiastic and indiscriminate reader from the time I was very young I never thought of writing as an occupation until my five year old daughter had an adventure. On her second day of For kindergarten she got on the wrong bus and went to the wrong school. After she was safe and sound again at home, I thought this would make a great story. And so, THE BUS FUSS was born. It was never published, but I was hooked.
Over the next several years many books followed. My ideas flooded in and came from people I knew. Everything I saw seemed to suggest another story.
RADIO RESCUE is the story of my father's ham radio days in 1920s New York City. My endless interviews with him gave me a window into his life that otherwise would not have been open.
HIROMI'S HANDS is the story of my daughter's childhood Japanese American friend whose father trained her to be a Sushi chef. I met Hiromi as an adorable, shy five year old child and came to know her well over the next eighteen years.
KNOCKIN' ON WOOD is the story of Peg Leg Bates. the one legged dancer. I first saw him on television on the Ed Sullivan show and wrote his story many years later after hearing my daughter's tap teacher talk about the great tappers he knew.
A COUNTRY SCHOOLHOUSE tells the story of my husband's school days in a three room schoolhouse in Dutchess country in the 1940s. I had listened to his amusing anecdotes about this for years and finally wrote them down.
Not all my stories are nonfiction. OLD FRIENDS is the story of an old lady who recognizes her childhood friend in the form of a dog. Sometime after writing this story, much to my surprise, I realized that the old lady was a perfect description of my own grandmother!
Telling stories and making pictures gives me great joy. When words and pictures work well together they form something new, something greater than the sum of its parts. I look forward to bringing many more stories to life in this way.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great book i am the subject of this book, November 10, 2000

By 

robert j marx (hallandale florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Radio Rescue (Hardcover)

mostly true and faithful recording of my very younger days as a teenager with the wireless age at my fingertips. I am stilcompletely fluent in Morse code as I learned it at age 10 and up..the book went to press before we could include details about Admiral Byrds first expedition to south pole.. helped with that one too ..NYTimes bldg on 43 st had a ham set that couldnt reach Byrd I could at 2azk regards from RJMarx bobolane1

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Radio, Rescue and Much, Much More, March 16, 2001

By 

Roz Levine - See all my reviews

This review is from: Radio Rescue (Hardcover)

Back in the 1920s communication wasn't as easy as it is today. Telephones didn't have dials or buttons and operators had to place your calls for you and this could mean waiting several hours to finally get to talk to someone. Lynne Barasch has taken a little bit of personal history and authored a wonderful picture book about the wireless radio, the first instant communication. Her father, the book's hero became the youngest licensed amateur radio operator in the country. Radio Rescue is his story of how he went about learning Morse Code and international signals, passing the test and getting his license, setting up his station and aerial and finally communicating and making new friends all over the world. And though it started out as a hobby, for fun, during the Florida hurricane of 1926, when all the phone lines were wiped out, he was instrumental in relaying news and rescuing a Key Largo family..... This is an informative and exciting story full of history, fun facts and detail kids 6-10 will really enjoy. The easy to read, first person text, complete with Morse code, is complimented by the simple, expressive illustrations and together they're sure to peak the interest of possible future ham radio operators.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Radio Rescu, August 9, 2006

By 

P. G. Graessle II "KE4RTJ" (California, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Radio Rescue (Hardcover)

An excellent story to read to young children. A good way to get them involved in a hobby, in particular amateur radio. Particularly relevent considering the 2004 hurricane season when 4 storms hit Florida, and the 2005 hurricane season with Katrina and Rita.