Elizabeth Wein

A unique WWII story about two young women fighting for the Allies. I've read countless WWII stories, but never one quite like this. Wein imagines a deep friendship between a pilot (Maddie) and a spy (Julie). The story is told in two parts -- first from Julie's point of view and then from Maddie's. The book is heartbreaking -- a timely reminder of the evils of Nazism and the lengths to which people will go for the good of humankind.

I initially had trouble getting into the book, and found it somewhat confusing. I'd advise giving it time and sticking with the story. You will not be disappointed. While the book was marketed as YA, the writing is mature and interesting to adult readers.… (more)

Interesting book based on true events. Ingrid is 14 in Nazi Germany hidden by her father as she has a stutter and all children who are not "perfect" are being taken away. Ingrid helps out at the local airfield flying gliders and catches the eye of a famous lady pilot Hannah Reitsch who takes her on tour to help demonstrate " Germany's dominance of the skies" to the people. But the more Ingrid sees, the less convinced she is that she is on the right side and she hatches a daring plan to escape...
Apparently Hannah Reitsch was an actual pilot who was confronted by the atrocities of the Nazi regime and was slow to see what was happening.… (more)

I've really wanted to review a few recent books I've read, but it's been a while! Maybe I'll come back and edit this later if I manage to actually put my thoughts together, but for now: good book! Really good book! While I was reading I was really drawn in to the characters, desperate to find out what happened to them, and a few times surprised and delighted by little twists in the narrative that made me realise that something completely different to what I'd been expecting was, in fact, being constructed.… (more)