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WINGS OF WAR

Name: WINGS OF WAR
Author: John Wilson
ISBN: 978-0-38567-830-8

by John Wilson ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 22, 2014

A fine, old-fashioned-feeling coming-of-age tale set in the World War I skies.

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Sixteen-year-old Edward Simpson dreams of being a pilot, and World War I affords him the opportunity.

It’s the early days of flying machines, and Edward’s uncle Horst, who builds various kinds of airplanes to fly the Saskatchewan skies in 1914, is in the thick of it, saying, “We will soar like the birds and laugh at the poor people on the ground below.” He arranges for Edward to go to flight school in Montana. From there, Edward goes to the Royal Flying Corps in England and off to war. H.G. Wells had predicted air battles in the clouds and bomb-carrying flying machines capable of destroying whole cities, and soon Edward sees firsthand the killing capabilities of his beloved flying machines. But he literally feels above it all, thinking, “If only I could stay up here forever, free from the insanity below.” Though he loses friends and acknowledges the death and destruction below, he is able to put the war at a distance and be realistic about his role in it: “It’s what I am, and I cannot deny that.” Wilson writes eloquently about one boy’s love of flight and his dream of flying. Though dialogue is sometimes used didactically to teach readers the history of flight, Edward’s narrative is thoroughly engaging.

A fine, old-fashioned-feeling coming-of-age tale set in the World War I skies. (Historical fiction. 9-14)

Pub Date: July 22, 2014

ISBN: 978-0-38567-830-8

Page Count: 256

Publisher: Doubleday Canada

Review Posted Online: May 12, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2014

Categories:

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT HISTORICAL FICTION

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THE RUINED CITY
by John Wilson

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THE THIRD ACT
by John Wilson

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A SOLDIER'S SKETCHBOOK
by John Wilson ; illustrated by R.H. Rabjohn

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A LONG WAY FROM CHICAGO

From the Grandma Dowdel series , Vol. 1

by Richard Peck ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1998

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In a novel that skillfully captures the nuances of small-town life, an elderly man reminisces about his annual trips from Chicago to his grandmother’s house in rural Illinois during the Depression. When the book opens, Joey and his sister, Mary Alice, nine and seven, respectively, learn that they will be spending a week every August with Grandma Dowdel. In eight vignettes, one for each summer from 1929—1935, with the final story set when Joey’s troop train passes through in 1942, Peck (Strays Like Us, 1998) weaves a wry tale that ranges from humorous to poignant. Grandma Dowdel, with her gruff persona and pragmatic outlook on life, embodies not only the heart of a small town but the spirit of an era gone by. She turns the tables on a supercilious reporter from the big city, bests the local sheriff, feeds the drifters of the Depression, inspires a brawl between elderly (ancient) war heroes, and more. Peck deftly captures the feel of the times, from the sublime bliss of rooting around the ice bin at the local store for a nickel Nehi during the dog days of summer, to a thrilling flight in a biplane. Remarkable and fine. (Fiction. 9-12)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1998

ISBN: 0-8037-2290-7

Page Count: 148

Publisher: Dial Books

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1998

Categories:

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FICTION | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT HISTORICAL FICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE BEST MAN
by Richard Peck

- BOOK REVIEW
THE MOUSE WITH THE QUESTION MARK TAIL
by Richard Peck ; illustrated by Kelly Murphy

- BOOK REVIEW
SECRETS AT SEA
by Richard Peck illustrated by Kelly Murphy

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NOBODY’S PRIZE

From the Princesses of Myth series , Vol. 2

by Esther Friesner ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 22, 2008

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Continuing the saga begun in Nobody’s Princess (2007), a fictional Helen (of Homeric fame) goes on the quest for the Golden Fleece with Jason and the Argonauts, disguised initially as a weapons carrier. When her gender is discovered, she pretends instead to be Atalanta, the famous huntress. Events proceed as in the myth (the Isle of Lemnos, the Harpies, Medea, etc.), though this version is purposefully mundane. As in the first book, Helen is a spunky tomboy who just wants to be herself, a thoroughly modern character borne of the reading public’s current fascination with Greek mythology and the Princess Diaries phenomenon. The story lacks narrative tension or character development, as Friesner simply overlays this conceit upon set events which seem to unfold as if preordained, never taking the reader anywhere beyond this rather limited exposé of certain Greek myths. This is certainly not the last in the series, which will have its fans. Anyone needing another strong-female-character-with-a-sword series will enjoy it, but it is only mildly accomplished and strongly forgettable. (Fiction. 11-14)