Born to Fly

Action. Adventure. And a female protagonist!? Yes!

Bird McGill has always wanted to fly an airplane. Her current obsession is a P-40 Warhawk, the plane the US is flying when it first enters World War II.

Born to Fly by Michael Ferrari tells Bird’s story of not fitting in with the other girls, of finding a friend where you least expect it (in a Japanese boy) and of learning to do the right thing.

When Kenji first comes to Bird’s school, everyone is sure he’s a spy. Even Bird, until she realizes he’s just a normal boy. As they become friends, they discover there is a real spy in their small Rhode Island community. As they work to catch the spy, they learn about friendship and sacrifice.

When I first checked this book out of the library, it went to the bottom of my reading pile. Then my 13-year-old daughter and my nine-year-old son both read the book – my nine-year-old read it in one day! Both of them loved the book, and told me I needed to write about it on my blog.

Even I had a hard time putting it down once I started reading it. Highly recommended for ages 9 and up.

(spoiler alert: Bird finds a dead man; ends up tied up in a basement. The spy threatens to kill her. She manages to escape, and eventually runs the spy off the road to a fiery death. Also, her father dies in the war. If your child is sensitive, please use your best judgement.)