Red Scare: A Graphic Novel - by Liam Francis Walsh

About the Book

"In the aftermath of the Korean War, Peggy's small hometown is rife with anti-Communist hysteria. But Peggy has bigger problems: She's struggling to recover from polio. Taunted by her classmates, Peggy just wants to be a normal kid, until she stumbles across a mysterious object that gives her the power to fly. Unscrupulous operatives from the American and Soviet governments seek the object to overturn the tense political stalemate, and Peggy finds herself smack in the middle of the Cold War arms race."--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

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!

Review Quotes

Praise for Red Scare:

A SLJ and NPR Best Book of the Year

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

"Red Scare is a brilliant, fast-paced adventure. Action, history, and a tiny bit of fantasy collide in eye-popping panels, loaded with heart. Liam Francis Walsh's graphic novel is set in 1950's-era Cold War, but still feels resonant today." -- Max Brallier, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Kids on Earth series

"With a wealth of period details and genre elements, this sci-fi caper set in the 1950s finds immediacy in the fears of the time, while dealing espionage action that flies off the page." -- School Library Journal, Best Books of 2022

"Magnificent noir shading and a smart critique of fear-mongering elevate the action and excitement of this historical dip into the possible." -- NPR Best Books of the Year

"Red Scare recounts a harrowing chapter in our country's history when the fear of Communism, or the fear of being thought a Communist, caused a sort of mass insanity. Walsh's storytelling skills are superb and the drawings are even better." ---- Roz Chast, author of Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?, which won a National Book Critics Circle Award and was shortlisted for a National Book Award.

"History, adventure, and fantasy come together masterfully in this beautifully illustrated, imaginative story." -- Terri Libenson, New York Times bestselling author of the Emmie & Friends series

"I love the drawings: Sometimes you turn the page and your jaw drops. The artwork builds this page-turner perfectly!" -- Jeff Smith, New York Times bestselling author of the BONE series

"Red Scare is a blast: Retro action, thrills, and real heart!" -- Rob Harrell, author of Wink

About the Author

Liam Francis Walsh is an award-winning cartoonist, writer, and illustrator. He was born in northern Wisconsin and grew up on a dairy farm with lots of siblings and books and a pet crow. His work has appeared in the New Yorker, the Guardian, and Reader's Digest, and he is the author of two pictures books, Make a Wish, Henry Bear and Fish. He lives in Switzerland with his wife and daughter.