Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
---|---|---|
Searching... Hardwood Creek Library (Forest Lake) | J 921 GEE | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Park Grove Library (Cottage Grove) | PICTURE BOOK MOS | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | J 921 GEE | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Stillwater Public Library | J 921 GEE | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Wildwood Library (Mahtomedi) | J 921 GEE | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
When I was little, something special happened every Sunday. Other families went to baseball games or the movies, but not mine . . . We went to watch the airplanes. . . .
Maggie dreamed of flying--just like her favorite pilot, Amelia Earhart. She told her brothers and sisters stories of flying across oceans and deserts, and all around the world. But in the 1920s and 1930s, few girls took to the sky.
Then, when Maggie grew up, her whole world changed overnight: the United States entered World War II, and everyone in her family was affected. Maggie knew that this was the time to support her country--and it was her chance to fly. Young Maggie Gee became one of only two Chinese American Women Airforce Service Pilots to serve in WWII.
Based on the true adventures of a girl not bound by gravity, Marissa Moss's stirring story and Carl Angel's brilliant illustrations depict what determination, bravery, and boundless possibilities look like when dreams are allowed to soar sky high.
Author Notes
Marissa Moss began as an illustrator of children's books. She is the author and illustrator of the Amelia series. She has written and illustrated more than 20 children's books including Amelia's Notebook, which was named a 1997 American Booksellers Association Pick of the Lists book. Her other books include Regina's Big Mistake and Knick Knack Paddywack.
My Notebook (with Help from Amelia) also won the 2000 Parent Council Outstanding Award Informational and Oh Boy, Amelia! won the 2001 Parent's Guide to Children's Media Award and the 2002 Children's Choice Award.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
An intimate first-person narrative carries this story of Gee, who, as a child, dreamed of becoming a pilot, and went on to become one of just two Chinese-Americans in the Women Airforce Service Pilots. Radiant acrylic and colored pencil illustrations convey Maggie's desire to take to the sky, as well as her cultural heritage. While serving, Gee is once even mistaken for an enemy pilot ("I felt like an exhibit at the county fair... the amazing Chinese American WASP"), and the book ends with her plane soaring above sherbet clouds: "Now I tell these stories to my children and grandchildren, and my tales must seem as far away to them as China." A triumphant story of determination. Ages 9-12. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* There are a number of biographies of women pilots, and a few books about the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), including a novel for older readers, Sherri L. Smith's Flygirl (2009). This particularly well-crafted picture book for middle grades comes to the subject through Maggie Gee, a young girl with a dream. As a child, instead of going to the movies, Maggie and her family head out to a landing strip to watch planes take off and land. Right then, Maggie knows she was born to fly. When World War II breaks out, opportunity presents itself in the form of the WASP, a group of female pilots allowed by the armed services to do training and transport missions. Perhaps best known for her Amelia books, Moss makes an interesting decision here. Though Maggie is clearly Asian American, her race does not come up in the story until a fellow pilot mistakes her for a Japanese spy. Prejudice is an issue that might have been the underpinnings of the story, but instead it's a subject that never overshadows Maggie's love of flight. Based on interviews with Gee, this has a lovely, personal feel to it. And while some of the faces in the acrylic and colored-pencil illustrations are a bit stiff, the scenes themselves exude a panoramic joy. Back matter features photographs of the real Maggie Gee.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2009 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-4-This biographical picture book, based on the life of a Chinese-American pilot, has a first-person narrative. Gee describes her love of airplanes as a small child and of sharing with her siblings her dreams of someday flying over places such as the Eiffel Tower and the pyramids. Several years later, when World War II started, she learned about the Women Airforce Service Pilots and knew that she wanted to join them. After attending flight school, she was one of the few chosen to train as a WASP. The work was "hard and tiring and wonderful, all at once" and Gee soon earned her wings. She flew several missions, some of which were fun (training exercises were "like playing tag in the air") and some of which were frightening. Rendered in acrylics and colored pencil, the colorful double-page illustrations are filled with detail and vibrantly depict the settings and events. An author's note provides more information along with photographs of Gee and her family members. This story should serve as inspiration for children that they can achieve whatever they put their minds to.-Donna Atmur, Los Angeles Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Maggie Gee longed to flybut she grew up in the 1930s, when many women were not allowed to pilot planes. Instead, she watched in rapture at the airport, soaking up every detail of flight. After many years of dreaming, World War II suddenly changed Maggie's life forever. To serve her country, she joined the Women Airforce Service Pilotsshe was finally able to fly. Maggie was only one of two Chinese-American women in the WASP and was on occasion mistaken for an enemy pilot. But that never dampened her spirit. She just climbed back in her plane and looped through the sky. Moss tells Maggie's story in first-person narration, giving the text an immediate and personal tone, although the liberal and uncredited use of dialogue places this squarely in the realm of fiction. Angel's bold, bright acrylics burst forth with Maggie's determination and passion. In one spread, Maggie stands in a field with arms held wideas her shadow casts the form of the plane she yearns to fly. An inspirational tale of an inspirational woman. (author's note, photos) (Picture book. 6-10) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Excerpts
Excerpts
WHEN I WAS LITTLE, something special happened every Sunday. Other families went to baseball games or the movies, but not mine. Instead we would drive out to the airport. We weren't going on a trip or meeting someone from a flight. We went to watch the airplanes. For us, nothing could be as exciting as watching the planes take off. We loved how they bumped clumsily along the runway, only to suddenly leap up, break free from the ground, and soar away, far away, until the black speck of the plane disappeared. My brothers, sisters, and I would lick our only-on-Sunday lollipops and tip our heads back, letting the roar of the engines fill our ears. I loved how the vibrations echoed in my bones. Just being there, being part of it all, made me feel big and powerful. I liked to search for my favorite pilot, Amelia Earhart. She had flown all the way across the ocean by herself, and I wanted to be just like her. Once I'm sure I saw her. When I waved, she saw me and waved back. It had to be her--I didn't know of any other women pilots back then. Just Amelia Earhart. And me. Well, I would be a pilot someday. Excerpted from Sky High: The True Story of Maggie Gee by Marissa Moss All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.