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From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

Stella North, 17 (white), the only female contestant in Europe’s first air race for young people, represents Britain; she prefers no one know she escaped the Russian Revolution as a young child. The August 1937 race aims to promote peace and unity at a time when fascism is rising in Europe. The other pilots fly for Germany, Italy, Poland, France, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands. The wealthy British woman race organizer and two experienced WWI fighter pilots from Germany and France are among the chaperones. Stella’s first meeting with bristly Tony Roberts, the pilot representing France, is both exhilarating and unsettling; it’s soon clear that he’s also harboring secrets about his past. The first race day, Stella sees a plane seemingly attacked by another before crashing into the ocean. The organizers are skeptical of her report until the Italian contestant never arrives at the first layover. As Stella tries to unravel the truth behind the attack and other acts of sabotage, the political landscape impacts the calculus of whom she suspects and whom she can trust. She finds some surprising allies among the other competitors even as the safety of a few of them is more and more uncertain. Realizing that surviving the race, not winning it, is the real challenge, Stella is determined they’ll all make it through alive. Gradually revealed backstories add depth to characters and their burgeoning relationships, while danger on the ground and in the air heightens tension in this riveting work of historical fiction. (Age 12 and older)

CCBC Choices 2024 © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2024. Used with permission.

From School Library Journal

Starred review from March 1, 2023

Gr 6 Up-Wein's latest historical fiction entry displays a wonderful understanding of both the complexity of the interwar years in Europe and the complicated motivations of the human condition. Stella is a young pilot selected to represent Britain in Europe's first air race for young people, an effort to promote peace amid lingering resentments, the ongoing Spanish Civil War, and the rise of Nazism. She is the lone female pilot and must continually prove her skill as an aviator and her ability to navigate treacherous social situations under the ever-present newspaper camera lens. Set in August 1937, when most Europeans liked to believe that peace between nations was still possible, hopes for a friendly air race to inspire national camaraderie are shattered on the first day when Stella observes one pilot force another to crash into the English Channel. Wein skillfully intertwines the mystery surrounding the crash and the increasingly suspicious behavior of various race participants and officials with the escalating tensions induced by episodes of sabotage and unsportsmanlike actions, both in the air and on the ground. Wein's prose shines especially bright during her descriptions of the landscape from the air, particularly the lasting effects of trench warfare on the terrain of Europe and the dread of another war. Her thorough research and attention to detail make the era come alive for readers. Back matter includes an extensive author's note and brief bibliography of works that inspired this novel. VERDICT Fans of Wein's earlier works, Keith O'Brien's Fly Girls, and Steve Sheinkin's Born to Fly will greatly enjoy this novel. Highly recommended for all libraries.-Susan Catlett

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From Horn Book

Starred review from March 1, 2023
Wein's compulsively readable murder mystery/thriller/romance takes place in Europe in 1937. An airplane race for young aviators has been arranged as an effort to promote peace under the shadow of Hitler, Mussolini, and Franco. Seventeen-year-old Stella North is the only female participant; a child refugee from Communist Russia, now a British resident, she's eager to prove herself as the "Flying English Rose." On the first day of the race, she witnesses a plane force a fellow contestant to crash fatally into the English Channel; who will be next? As solidarity among the international contestants builds, it becomes clear that one of them is the murderer's real target. Wein's (Code Name Verity, rev. 5/12; The Enigma Game, rev. 5/20) familiarity with small planes and her love of aviation give this suspenseful adventure both speed and loft; at the same time, it's packed with the historical politics and culture of Europe's pre�? World War II era, some of which resonates in our current world, as an appended author's note addresses. Wein cleverly interweaves gripping storytelling and romance with the sobering, practical damage of combat, of growing up stateless in a disrupted world and knowing that today's peace is fleeting. Back matter includes a bibliography. Deirdre F. Baker

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

From Booklist

February 15, 2023
Grades 8-12 Wein's (Code Name Verity, 2012) new stand-alone thriller centers on a fictional 1937 European youth air race promoting peace between nations. Twelve pilots fly solo from country to country, dogged by the press and paired with aviation heroes of the Great War who serve as their chaperones. Stella North, 17, an orphaned Russian refugee living in England, represents the UK. The sole woman, she races to prove both her talent and her patriotism. On the very first day of competition, Stella witnesses one pilot force another's plane into the English Channel. Too far away to identify either, she comes to believe that the murderer killed the wrong pilot by mistake--but who is the real target, and why? Tony Roberts, the secretive pilot representing France, is also stateless; feeling a kinship, Stella and Tony collaborate to uncover the saboteur. Dramatic chase scenes in the skies above the Alps and on the streets of Nazi-controlled Hamburg, Germany, climax in a terrifying airborne confrontation over Paris. Throughout, readers feel the tensions that would soon catapult Europe into war.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

From Publisher's Weekly

January 16, 2023
This suspenseful murder mystery by Wein (The Enigma Game), set in 1937, centers a group of stellar young pilots competing in a European air race. Striving to promote peace during a period of international unrest, pioneering British female aviator Lady Firth organizes Europe's First Youth Air Race, comprising 12 pilots aged 17—20 from 12 nations, flying over seven cities. Seventeen-year-old Stella North, Britain's representative and the only female participant, hides her Russian origins, fearing exposure by the press as a stateless refugee. When one pilot disappears before the first leg of the race is completed, Stella believes she witnessed his murder in the sky. Each contestant-and their respective chaperone-is a possible suspect,
and Stella, externally cool and collected, privately worries about potential sabotage to her plane. She also wrestles with misgivings about her competitors, each of whom represents a different facet of the imminent war. Danger and intrigue abound in this historically accurate aeronautic adventure, which boasts a large cast whose unusual and dramatically shifting dynamics make for a savory read. Major characters cue as white; one chaperone is a highly regarded Black aviator. A concluding author's note details context regarding pre-WWII and aviation history, plus extensive source notes. Ages 12—up. Agent: Ginger Clark, Ginger Clark Literary.

From Kirkus

January 1, 2023
Intrigue and danger in the air and on the ground make for an exciting read that is steeped in interwar history. In late August 1937, Stella North, 17, is representing Britain by flying in a race against other young pilots to promote peace in Europe. As the only female flyer, and one who does not feel like a true Brit (she's originally from Russia, having left as a 3-year-old refugee, but she keeps that fact hidden), she has a lot to prove. Racing from England to Belgium, Stella witnesses two planes nearly collide midair, with one flying away undamaged and one plummeting into the sea. Was it really murder? The competitors include a pilot representing Nazi Germany, an Italian who is a close friend of Mussolini's son, a Jewish pilot from the Netherlands, and an anti-fascist pilot from France: Could one of them be trying to eliminate the competition? Unlikely alliances form as Stella and her fellow pilots try to solve the mystery and stay alive, all unfolding against the backdrop of an ever more frightening political landscape. The aeronautic and historical details woven into the story make for informative and fascinating reading. The ending will feel bittersweet, as readers know that many of these new allies will shortly be on different sides of a horrific war. A thrilling, terrifying read. (map, competitors and destinations, author's note, sources) (Historical mystery. 12-18)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

From Horn Book

January 1, 2023
Wein's compulsively readable murder mystery/thriller/romance takes place in Europe in 1937. An airplane race for young aviators has been arranged as an effort to promote peace under the shadow of Hitler, Mussolini, and Franco. Seventeen-year-old Stella North is the only female participant; a child refugee from Communist Russia, now a British resident, she's eager to prove herself as the "Flying English Rose." On the first day of the race, she witnesses a plane force a fellow contestant to crash fatally into the English Channel; who will be next? As solidarity among the international contestants builds, it becomes clear that one of them is the murderer's real target. Wein's (Code Name Verity, rev. 5/12; The Enigma Game, rev. 5/20) familiarity with small planes and her love of aviation give this suspenseful adventure both speed and loft; at the same time, it's packed with the historical politics and culture of Europe's pre�? World War II era, some of which resonates in our current world, as an appended author's note addresses. Wein cleverly interweaves gripping storytelling and romance with the sobering, practical damage of combat, of growing up stateless in a disrupted world and knowing that today's peace is fleeting. Back matter includes a bibliography.

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)