Born to Fly

Gr 5 Up—Ferrari's debut novel (Delacorte, 2009) takes place in a small Rhode Island town at the time Pearl Harbor is bombed and the United States enters World War II. Bird is just turning 11, has a passion for flying airplanes, and wants to be a fighter pilot when she grows up. When Kenji, a Japanese-American boy, enters Bird's class, everyone thinks that he and his uncle are spies. Bird befriends him, and they discover evidence of an enemy submarine in the area. The story features men leaving for war and, sadly, never coming back; a draft dodger; and a Nazi spy who is hidden in plain sight. There's plenty of adventure in this action-packed story, including a local murder solved by Bird and Kenji. Listeners get a complete home front experience, including a nod to the popular culture of the times with references to Abbot and Costello, John Wayne, the Andrew Sisters, and the popular The Green Hornet radio program. Narrator Rachel Dulude does an eloquent job of portraying Bird's range of emotions as the girl processes life-changing events, and her use of tone and pacing helps listeners keep track of a full cast of characters. There's a thorough endnote that delivers historical facts as they relate to the story. Highly recommended for all libraries and for fans of Patricia Reilly Giff's Lily's Crossing (Delacorte, 1997).—Terri Norstrom, Cary Area Public Library, IL