THE LAST HAWK

In 1944, a young German pilot makes a series of hard decisions for the sake of her safety and her conscience.

Seventeen-year-old Ingrid Hartman, who speaks with a stutter, tries to avoid being noticed, especially by local Nazi officials. Ingrid’s late mother was a nurse at the Ulmenhain Youth Hospital, where children with learning disabilities were sterilized and neglected; some of them died. The survivors were eventually taken away, along with other disabled children in the community, supposedly to be cared for. Ingrid’s father fears for her safety in a society where disabled people are called “a disgrace to Germany.” With her cousin’s help, Ingrid becomes a safety pilot at a flight school, hoping to prove her usefulness to her country. Ingrid’s hero, test pilot Hanna Reitsch, recruits her for “a propaganda tour,” performing demonstrations to recruit young men for secret missions that Ingrid suspects are death sentences. While many people unquestioningly support their country’s cause, Ingrid’s childhood friend Emil Bruck shares information from a Swedish leaflet about the labor and concentration camps. He urges Ingrid to get out, and she faces a difficult, life-threatening decision. Ingrid is a sympathetic character who’s observant and astute; Wein portrays her as courageous and decisive, particularly in critical moments. The accessible text, which will sustain the interest of reluctant readers, is printed in a dyslexia-friendly font.

Full of courage, heart, and perceptiveness.