Praise for We Own the Sky
“Gripping.” – Publishers Weekly
“This vivid picture of senseless violence will hit home for today’s readers. A timeless, timely, and poignant tale of derring-do.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Philbrick’s fast-paced, action-packed narrative includes deeper layers of difficult history that still resonate today.” –Horn Book Magazine
“The writing and storyline show the strength and resilience of the two main characters and the other adults in their lives. It is also a realistic portrayal of the KKK and the hatred it brought to communities all over the country. Hand this to any student who loves aviation and history. The combination will keep them turning pages until the thrilling conclusion.” School Library Connection
Praise for Wild River:
An Amazon Best Book of the Month
A Junior Library Guild Selection
"Newbery Honoree Philbrick twines a heartfelt message about teamwork and forgiveness with realistic dangers in this pageturning survival story." — Publishers Weekly
"Impossible to put down. Readers will need to strap on their helmets and prepare for a wild ride." — Kirkus Reviews
Praise for Wildfire:
* "An intense tale of survival and action." — School Library Journal, starred review
* "Short chapters, outstanding cover art, and a breathless pace make this a fine choice for reluctant readers. Outstanding suspense." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
* "Action lovers will relish every word. With Wildfire—reminiscent of Hatchet and the real-life saga Lost on a Mountain in Maine—Philbrick transforms a raging inferno into an impressively plotted escape story full of heart and soul." — BookPage, starred review
2022-09-28
It’s the summer of 1924 when Davy and Jo Michaud take off into a life that dreams—and nightmares—are made of.
Newly orphaned and long impoverished, narrator Davy, 12, and Jo, 17, are uncertain about what lies ahead. Their fortunes take a turn for the fantastical, however, when their mother’s estranged cousin, hotshot aviatrix Ruthie Reynard, swoops in to take the siblings under her proverbial—and literal—wing. Thrills abound as the children find a new family amid the daredevils and stalwarts of Ruthie’s circus. But behind the ever present danger of stunting lies a far more sinister threat, one from which the siblings and those they love might not escape. Set in Maine against the backdrop of the revival of the Ku Klux Klan in the Northeast, this vivid picture of senseless violence will hit home for today’s readers. As invectives fuel anti-immigrant sentiment, Davy realizes that he and his sister, whose father was an immigrant from Quebec, are the “foreign invaders” the Klan hates. The circus plot thread, full of heart and warmth, clashes with these themes in a way that keeps readers firmly invested in the fates of tenderly crafted characters they will grow to love. The first-person narration reads somewhat awkwardly, though it’s befitting of a young not-quite-man still growing into himself and his place in the world. Characters default to White.
A timeless, timely, and poignant tale of derring-do. (information you may find interesting, photograph, additional reading) (Fiction. 8-12)