Sky Chasers

by Emma Carroll Narrated by Bahni Turpin

Overview

The race is on to be the first to discover the secret of flight! Magpie is soon caught up in a world of science, spies, and unruly animals to be the first to passenger in a hot air balloon.

Yesterday, Magpie was one of the best thieves in all of France. But an encounter with a boy dangling from the sky will change her life forever. And even though it ends in disaster, Magpie becomes enthralled by the idea of flying over the rooftops of Paris like the dangling boy: Pierre. His family, the Montgolfiers, are desperate to be the first to discover the secret of flight. And Magpie has ideas, but she also has secrets. Together with Pierre, she'll need to help the Montgolfiers accomplish their dream before her past gets the best of them all. In a test of bravery, imagination, science, and friendship--Magpie, Pierre, and their pet birds are in a race against time to get the Montgolfier's in the air before the King and Queen. It'll take two children, a chicken, a duck, and a sheep to help them find the answers. But others, too, are determined to discover the Montgolfiers' invention...

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Praise for Sky Chasers:"With Carroll as pilot we are taken on an original, thrilling journey with a wonderful view of early aeronautics ... Carroll, an unstoppable, natural storyteller, lets her imagination take off." — The Times (UK)"Soaring flight and the power of friendship are to the fore in this gripping historical adventure." — The Guardian (UK)"This engaging story is full of heart and adventure ... The novel is based on history, and the role of the animals in the Montgolfier story is especially well handled, with all three animal aeronauts becoming vivid characters in the story. Reading this story may well encourage children to find out more about the historical events." — BookTrust (UK)"Sky Chasers by [Emma Carroll] is wonderful. Full of adventure ... I loved it." — Lisa Thompson, author of Goldfish Boy

School Library Journal

06/21/2019

Gr 4–8-It's 1783 in France, and a thief named Magpie has been hired by Madam Delacroix to do a job: steal an antique box. It should be simple, but the house is not empty and the job gets botched. When she witnesses a prototype flying machine, Magpie becomes injured. Now the family that she tried to rob is helping take care of her, while Magpie is being blackmailed to attempt the burglary again or else. Madam Delacroix is willing to do anything it takes for Magpie to cooperate and finish the job. This is an excellent historical fiction novel based on the events leading to the flight of the first hot air balloon over Paris. There is enough action and mystery to keep readers turning pages, with cliff-hanger chapters perfect for read-alouds. The historical elements lend an educational aspect to the adventure, and an author's note provides information about the actual event for those interested in learning more. VERDICT A great addition to middle grade historical fiction collections, or for classes studying 18th-century France. Don't let this one fly away.-Patrick Tierney, Pascoag Public Library, RI

Kirkus Reviews

2019-03-12
Magpie, a homeless street urchin whose only friend is Coco, her pet rooster, survives as a pickpocket in southern France.

It is 1783, and there is an intense rivalry between England and France to create a device that can fly. When Magpie inadvertently becomes part of the Montgolfier brothers' test flight of a huge paper balloon, actually flying for a few minutes, she becomes completely enthralled even though she is badly injured in the rapid descent. They bring her to their home, where she becomes a special friend to Pierre, Joseph-Michel Mongolfier's son, and his pet duck, Voltaire. The experiments continue, with Magpie's observations and ideas helping to improve the balloon prototypes. The brothers are commanded by Louis XVI to demonstrate their invention at Versailles. The balloon is to carry only a sheep, Coco, and Voltaire. Many exciting and dangerous adventures ensue in this picaresque, with false friends, highway robbery, a duel, possible spies, a near deadly attack, and more. Magpie narrates her story in an immediate present tense. Historical figures are woven seamlessly with the invented characters, as are imagined events with the actual, recorded fact of the balloon demonstration. Magpie is at once suspicious and accepting, grateful and wary, a good true friend, and altogether delightful. She is biracial, with an absent Algerian father and (deceased) white, French mother, though her identity plays no part in the story; the book otherwise hews to a white default.

Entertaining, fast-paced, and almost true. (historical note) (Historical fiction. 8-12)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170593781
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	06/25/2019
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	10 - 13 Years

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