The Book: “The Invisible Boy” and “The Big Black and White Game” by Ray Bradbury. Both stories originally published in 1945. Read in the anthology Golden Apples of the Sun, edition read was published by Bantum Books in 1961.
The Setting: Earth, the Ozarks and Wisconsin, respectively.
The Story: WARNING! These stories are Not Science Fiction. “The Invisible Boy” tells the story of a lonely and creepy old lady in the Ozarks, not a boy who is invisible. “The Big Black and White Game” is about baseball and racial tension.
The Science: Not applicable.
The Reaction:A couple of very nice little stories, but… not project appropriate. I fear there’s going to be a fair amount of this with Bradbury.
The Cover: It’s a confusing cover – whirls and swirls of old timey pasted together graphics. Supposed to confer a sense of wonder and mysticism, I suppose. But I don’t even want to think about what’s going on with some of those graphics.
Next Up: That Hideous Strength by C. S. Lewis.
headed for alien territory 