SPY IN THE SKY

by Kathleen Karr ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1997

The true story of Thaddeus Lowe, narrated by a fictional South Carolina orphan, Ridley Jones. As Karr (Go West, Young Women! 1996, etc.) tells it, when Lowe, a 19th-century balloonist, crashes in South Carolina at the beginning of the Civil War, Ridley joins him as his assistant. They make their way north, where Lowe presents the idea of a Balloon Corps to President Lincoln, for spying on enemy positions and movements. After some resistance from military brass, Lowe and Ridley are officially aloft. This breezy entry in the Chapters series will have emerging readers gliding right along. Ridley provides appropriate perspective, and the story--as far as it goes, ending as the Balloon Corps is underway--will have wide appeal; a final note offers no additional information about Lowe's work in the Civil War. Superfluous puzzles and quizzes bring the book to a close, but the tale is exciting without such frills, and sure to pull in readers from both the high and low ends of proficiency.

Pub Date: April 1, 1997

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 60

Publisher: Hyperion

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1997

Categories: CHILDREN'S