Flygirl

Smith, Sherri L.  Flygirl. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2008.

ISBN 9780399247095 | Hardcover | 275 p. | $16.99 USD

Annotation:  Ida Mae Jones loves to fly planes, but there aren't many piloting opportunities for young black woman in the 1940's.  When she hears about the Women's Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), she signs up to aid in the war effort.  Ida uses her light skin to pass as a white woman to get into the program, but struggles to hide her true identity as she trains as a pilot.

Awards / Honors:

- Amelia Bloomer Lists - Young Adult Fiction: 2010

- TAYSHAS High School Reading List (2010)

- YALSA Best Books for Young Adults: 2010

Open End Booktalk:  Would you deny who you were in order to follow your dreams? This is the dilemma Ida Mae Jones faces as a young black woman who wants to become a pilot during WWII.  Ida has loved flying since her dad taught her as a young girl, but because she is black she is not allowed to become a pilot. Ida takes advantage of her light skin to pass as a white woman and is determined to aid the war effort as a pilot.  But changing her identity is much harder than she bargained for. Will she be able to keep her secret in order to become a pilot?

Check out this video two students created after reading Flygirl: