BRAVO ZULU, SAMANTHA!
by Kathleen Benner Duble
When Sam finds out she’s visiting her grandparents for a whole month of summer vacation, she’s beyond bummed, especially because it means spending lots of time with her grandfather the Colonel, a grumpy retired fighter pilot. Besides his general crotchetiness, the Colonel irks Sam because he’s always quizzing her on random aviation facts, while Sam would rather be rattling off weird facts, like the number of bacteria in a human mouth. Although Sam and the Colonel try to stay out of each other’s way, Sam quickly realizes that the Colonel has a secret project, and she won’t rest until it’s uncovered. Although a warm account of a turbulent but strong relationship between a grandfather and granddaughter, this text remains flat until a surprise conflict in the final chapters slightly ratchets up the tension. (author’s note, fact sources) (Fiction. 8-12)