DECEMBER 2019 - AudioFile
Narrator Kim Mai Guest chronicles the lives of some of the top women aviators of the 1920s and their race across America. Using dramatic pauses to capture her audience, Guest weaves the stories of some of the greats, including Louise Thedan, Ruth Elder, Marvel Crosson, Amelia Earhart, Bobbi Trout, Florence Barnes, and many others, from their very beginnings in flight to their participation in The Women’s Air Derby of 1929. The dynamic tone that Guest creates reflects the determination of these daring aviators. Listeners will rally around this adventurous group of aerial pioneers who pushed to not only break new ground for women, but also for all pilots during the early age of aviation. M.D. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
The New York Times Book Review - Sarah Miller
…[a] stirring account of the 1929 Air Derby…Sheinkin's prose is delightfully snappy and concise…Above all, Sheinkin makes the Derby pilots' passion for the sky so contagious, even a white-knuckle flier's heart can't help but soar.
Publishers Weekly
09/02/2019
In this riveting account, Newbery Honor author Sheinkin (Bomb) introduces 20 American pilots who flew in the 1929 Women’s Air Derby, from Santa Monica, Calif., to Cleveland, Ohio. How the women deftly handled weather, accidents, fires, exhaustion, and far too many chicken dinner banquets are among the accounts. Even threats of sabotage, scorn from the media, and sexual discrimination failed to dissuade the determined flyers from crossing the finish line. Pilot Marvel Crosson,who lost her life in the race, wrote that she had given her all to proving that “women are the best pilots in the world.” Later forming the first organization of women pilots, playing important roles in WWII, and setting speed and endurance records, these pioneering aviators also inspired future pilots, including astronauts Sally Ride and Linda Godwin. Historical photos and Karman’s realistic drawings bring to life famous women, such as Amelia Earheart, along with lesser-known flyers. With immediacy and vivid detail, Sheinken’s thoroughly researched account of these daring women will capture the imagination of contemporary readers. Ages 10–14. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
"Above all, Sheinkin makes the Derby pilots' passion for the sky so contagious, even a white-knuckle flier's heart can't help but soar." — The New York Times
*" Sheinkin’s story-like narration puts readers right in the action, making them gasp and cheer along with the fliers... This book soars as it details these often overlooked figures from history." —Booklist, starred review
*"Born to Fly is full of emergency landings, nail-biting finishes and (probable) acts of sabotage; when there isn't an archival photo to capture a moment, Bijou Karman's unpretentious line art fills in the gaps." —Shelf Awareness, starred review
*" Sheinkin’s thorough research and attention to detail make the era come alive for readers." —School Library Journal, starred review
*[S]oaring past boundaries. — The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review
"Suspenseful, informative, and remarkably uplifting." —Kirkus Reviews
"With immediacy and vivid detail, Sheinken’s thoroughly researched account of these daring women will capture the imagination of contemporary readers." —Publishers Weekly
"Sheinkin is a history writer of unusual gumption and no shortage of nerve. Born to Fly is a real barn burner." — Shelf Awareness
"Lively and engaging." —Horn Book
Undefeated:
“A model of research and documentation as well as of stylish writing that tells an always absorbing story.” —Booklist, starred review
“A thoroughly engrossing and extensively researched examination of football’s first 'all-American.' ” —School Library Journal, starred review
Most Dangerous:
“Easily the best study of the Vietnam War available for teen readers.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
The Port Chicago 50:
“Sheinkin delivers another meticulously researched WWII story.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
Bomb:
“This is edge-of-the-seat material.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, starred review
The Notorious Benedict Arnold:
“American history is brought to life in this engaging story of revolution and treason.” —School Library Journal, starred review
School Library Journal
★ 09/01/2019
Gr 5–8—Using a collected biographical approach, Sheinkin presents the history of early American aviation and the changing role of women in society, culminating in the Women's Air Derby of 1929. Women made up a small percentage of pilots in the 1920s, and societal norms prevented them from competing in air races until the 1929 derby. The 20 women who participated in the derby came from all walks of life. Most Americans recognize the name Amelia Earhart, but Sheinkin introduces many other female pilots, including Marvel Crosson, Ruth Elder, Bobbi Trout, and Pancho Barnes, who all took part in the daring and fearless days of flight in its infancy. Flight races were particularly intense for spectators and participants alike as the inherent danger usually meant that at least one pilot died per race. While women received the right to vote in 1920, the facade of female frailty was still a widely held belief in 1929 and used to justify protesting the all-female air derby that stretched from Santa Monica, CA, to Cleveland. The question of sabotage, engineering design flaws, and interpersonal relationships made an inherently difficult undertaking exponentially more dangerous for all the pilots in the 1929 derby. VERDICT Sheinkin's thorough research and attention to detail make the era come alive for readers. Fans of Keith O'Brien's Fly Girls will greatly enjoy this book. Highly recommended for all middle school libraries.—Susan Catlett, Green Run High School, Virginia Beach
DECEMBER 2019 - AudioFile
Narrator Kim Mai Guest chronicles the lives of some of the top women aviators of the 1920s and their race across America. Using dramatic pauses to capture her audience, Guest weaves the stories of some of the greats, including Louise Thedan, Ruth Elder, Marvel Crosson, Amelia Earhart, Bobbi Trout, Florence Barnes, and many others, from their very beginnings in flight to their participation in The Women’s Air Derby of 1929. The dynamic tone that Guest creates reflects the determination of these daring aviators. Listeners will rally around this adventurous group of aerial pioneers who pushed to not only break new ground for women, but also for all pilots during the early age of aviation. M.D. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2019-06-16
In August 1929, a talented group of female aviators spearheaded women's rights when they participated in an all-woman nine-day, cross-country air race that kicked off in California.
Henry Ford had remarked, "I pay our women well so they can dress attractively and get married." The women were fighting centuries of bias, but all of them were primarily interested in becoming successful fliers; changing the public's opinion of women's capabilities was a secondary outcome. Marvel Crosson, Amelia Earhart, Louise Thaden, Ruth Nichols, and others were among the 99 (nearly all white) licensed female pilots in 1929; the other 8,901 were men. Flying opportunities for women of color were even more sharply limited. (Only African American Bessie Coleman is mentioned in this account.) Sheinkin is a master at finding and following narrative hooks, as when he recounts the already highly controversial Women's Air Derby, which became even more so when a pilot was killed in a crash that may have been caused by someone tampering with her plane. Although Sheinkin covers much of the same ground as Keith O'Brien's Fly Girls (2019), this effort explores the 1929 race in detail, using that microcosm to reveal the lives of several of the early female fliers. Fascinating prose, a large number of period photographs augmented by Karman's illustrations, and outstanding backmatter round out an engaging and enlightening presentation. Well-rounded collections should include both of these excellent resources.
Suspenseful, informative, and remarkably uplifting. (Nonfiction. 11-16)
