Skip to main content

Flying Solo

By
Flying Solo: How Ruth Elder Soared into America's Heart
by Julie Cummins, illustrated by Malene R. Laugesen
Roaring Brook Press, 2013.  Unpaged.  Biography

     Young girls may be mystified at stories like this one, of a time when women were not allowed or not expected to engage in certain activities; in this case, flying airplanes.  Ruth Elder was not the most famous, nor anywhere near the most successful, of early female pilots, but her good looks and sparkling personality made her America's sweetheart of the air. She was the first woman to to attempt a transatlantic flight, along with her flying instructor George Haldeman, but after 36 hours in the air, they had to ditch into the Atlantic because of a ruptured oil line. Not fazed in the least, Ruth went on to Paris, was featured in a few movies, and participated in the first women's cross-country air race, named the Powder Puff Derby by Will Rogers, who saw the women refreshing their makeup as he was preparing to emcee the opening ceremonies. Flying Solo . . . is a great story with terrific pictures about advancing "confidently in the direction of your dreams" (Henry David Thoreau).
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Faker

By
Faker By Gordon Korman New York: Scholastic Press, 2024. Fiction. 214 pages. 12-year-old Trey is used to starting over at a new school -- he has the routine perfectly memorized: make new friends, introduce his dad to the wealthy parents of his new friends, and "Houdini" themselves out of there before they get caught running their latest scam. Trey's dad is a master con artist, and Trey has just been promoted to full-partner. Their new scheme for the next big score brings them to the affluent suburb of Boxelder, TN where Trey's dad has cooked up a fake electric car company for investors to buy into. The only problem is that Trey is starting to grow tired of moving around and never putting down roots, especially after forming a fast friendship with Logan and developing a crush on Kaylee, a socially conscious girl in his class. As Trey longs for a normal life, is there any way he can convince his dad to get out of the family business? Gordon Korman is a perennial favorit
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: The Frindle Files

By
  Frindle Files  By Andrew Clements  New York: Random House, 2024. Fiction. 198 pages.  In 1996 Andrew Clements wrote a story about a kid who invented the word “frindle” (another word for “pen.”)  The Frindle Files is the sequel that takes place many years later.  Josh is a student in Mr. N’s class. He and his friends can’t stand the fact that Mr. N makes them all write their homework down on paper with a “blue or black pen” and “neatness counts.” Josh is a computer geek and loves to do all his homework on the computer. In the midst of trying to find a way to make Mr. N accept the students' desire to do homework online, Josh comes across some information about Mr. N that links him to the word “frindle.” Now Josh and his best friend must decide what to do with the information and if they are willing to stand up to Mr. N’s antiquated way of doing homework.  Kids who love the original book will highly enjoy this new edition. It is a continuation to the story in that it shows what ha
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: Life After Whale

By
  Life After Whale Written by Lynn Brunelle Illustrated by Jason Chin New York: Holiday House, 2024. Informational.  Have you ever wondered what happens after a whale dies? In this beautiful book, you'll discover what happens for years after a whale's death. The book begins by introducing the blue whale and talking a little about its life. It moves quickly on to a whale's death, where his body first falls to the very bottom of the ocean floor. You'll meet the scavengers, first big then smaller as the years progress that eat the whale's decomposing body until finally it is used as a food source for krill which are then eaten by blue whales.  In addition to being an excellent resource to discussing the animal circle of life, this book is a work of art. Jason Chin's watercolor and gauche illustrations will have readers dissecting every detail and flipping through for a further look. Kids who love animal facts will be absolutely enthralled by this tale.   
Post a Comment
Read more