Born to Fly

Born to Fly: the First Woman's Air Race Across America
Steve Sheinkin
Roaring Brook, Sept. 2019 288 pages
Grades 5-Up
Non-Fiction

Award winning author of non-fiction for young people, Sheinkin offers an account of a little known chapter of American history: the first all-female air race across the country at the end of the jazz age in 1929. Sheinkin begins by tracing an early common denominator of many of the participants: they jumped off of roofs as children in attempts to fly. Individual paths to achieve this dream are traced, leading our heroines to the famous, yet mostly forgotten, air derby that causes mass controversy and diversion in this long ago time before television and video games. Certainly the most well-known female pilot of the time, Amelia Earhart is featured, but equal time is given to the other brave souls who put their lives at risk to push boundaries and make history. The derby itself is described day-by-day, complete with daily statistics and accounts of sabotage and intriguing. Despite opposition from many fronts, especially after a death occurs, the race draws to a close with a winner and the start of a new era in aviation, as the Great Depression rolls into the country and the world prepares for war.

Sheinkin has won the most important awards in the field of children's literature for a reason. His well-researched, documented, and highly readable narrative non-fiction is the best in the genre. Born to Fly reads like fiction, yet is an actual chapter from our country's past. Besides providing a historic account of the history of aviation and women within the field, Sheinkin highlights the cultural of the times, including sexist and racist sentiments and the battles that these women had to fight in order to achieve their dreams. Both boys and girls who read this book will be inspired to fight to do what they love and even kids not interested in flying will enjoy this thrilling account. Original illustrations, contributed by Bijou Karman, are generously sprinkled throughout the text, as are actual photos of the events and people described. Extensive notes, sources, and an index round out the volume. Sheinkin offers a follow-up to the pilots, so readers will know what happened to these fearless women after the derby and also answers the question that was on my mind: "why do we now only know about Amelia Earhart?" With obvious curriculum connections this title will be useful for both pleasure reading and school work, making it a book with legs that is sure to be purchased by many libraries and win further accolades for the author.