The 44th book in the series, this book is set in 1938 in Seattle, Washington. Historical events included how some families were beginning to "recover" from the Great Depression and life was normalizing for them, while others were still out of work and losing their homes. Movies such as Snow White and The Revenge of Tarzan came out. Radio dramatizations and broadcasts were another source of entertainment, and the "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast deceived and concerned many citizens as they were misled into believeing there was an alien invasion on the East Coast. Character issues that were touched on included responding to having belongings stolen, donating to help the homeless population, caring for others who are injured or ill, teasing and pranks (fun vs. unkind?), and different reactions to gossip with discriminatory tones. |
- The children saw their father being robbed of the Christmas gifts he was carrying home. He was beaten up with mention of blood trickling from a cut among other injuries.
- Two of the kids separated themselves from their family on a mountain hike and spent the night lost, alone, and scared in a cave until being reunited with their family.
- During the "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast chapter, the sister knows it is a dramatization, but tries to convince her brother it is a real alien invasion. The radio describes a fair amount of chaos, panic, and at one point says they see Martians. Due to the wording of their conversations, some younger or less discerning listeners/readers may not be clear on whether there is danger in this chapter or not. Thankfully, the brother does use logic and critical thinking to determine the truth of the situation.