Women Aviators

May 15, 2013
This collective biography profiles 26 women aviators from 1910 up to today. Most of the names will be unfamiliar with a few exceptions, among them Amelia Earhart, Beryl Markham and Bessie Coleman. The women are grouped into five time frames, providing context that defines the struggles, both physical and societal, that they faced as pilots. The book follows the format of others in the Women of Action series: Each minibio opens with a paragraph about its subject's accomplishment followed by a few, just-the-facts-ma'am pages about her life, a sidebar of relevant information and one photo, ending with a short bibliography. The 20 additional pages of backmatter that cite resources are indicative of the academic approach and the perfunctory writing style. While there is a hangar full of information here, the black-and-white interior (only the cover is in color) lacks reader appeal. Jeannine Atkins and Dusan Petricic's Wings and Rockets: The Story of Women in Air and Space (2003) has a bit more energy. Overall, a sensible if staid survey; its strength is in its breadth. (notes, glossary, bibliography, index [not seen]) (Collective biography. 12 & up)

COPYRIGHT(2013) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2013

Gr 7-10-At a time when flight schools did not accept female students, women paid for private lessons and persevered to overcome prejudice and mistaken beliefs that they were not strong enough or intelligent enough to fly airplanes. Five of the first six licensed women pilots were French, with the first one being Raymonde de Laroche in March 1910. The following year, photojournalist and world traveler Harriet Quimby was the first woman in the United States to earn a pilot's license; Bessie Coleman became the first African American with a license in 1921; the first Asian American was Catherine Cheung in 1932. Others profiled are Amelia Earhart and the woman who taught her to fly, Neta Snook, and Valentina Grizodubova, the "Soviet Amelia Earhart." Also outlined are specific achievements, including the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs), serving as air safety investigators, test pilots, aerial firefighters, bush pilots, and airline pilots. Each short biography begins with an introduction and a photo. This well-written volume is a solid contribution to women's history collections.-Patricia Ann Owens, formerly at Illinois Eastern Community Colleges, Mt. Carmel, IL

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2013
Grades 7-10 When one thinks of female aviators, some obvious names come to mind. And while, yes, Amelia Earhart is included here, this collective biography highlights the lives of lesser-known but no less influential fliers such as Louise Thaden, the winner of the 1929 Women's Air Derby, and Jacqueline Cochran, who organized the Women Airforce Service Pilots during WWII. Using plenty of primary sources, Gibson features 26 aviators who pioneered early aerial achievements, served their country in wartime, and used their aviation skills to help relief efforts and charities. Biographies are organized into chapters according to types of achievement, and each includes a bibliography, many with web links, for readers to learn more. Photographs accompany each flier's life story. The collection is wide reaching in its time frame, representing the very earliest pilots through the Cold War. Women aviators represent some of the most admirable of traitsfearlessness, defiance of outmoded stereotypes, and intelligenceand their collected stories make for high-interest reading.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)