The Girl Who Could Fly

gso44 - This book is about a simple, talkative, home-schooled farm girl, called Piper McCloud. Normal, right? Anything but. Piper can fly. She has been ever since she was a newborn. But when Piper's mom finds out, when warns Piper not to do it again. Piper doesn't listen to her Mom and continues flying, but now secretly. Soon, she is able to fly around the town. A few days later, Piper's mom Betty announces that they are going to he Fourth of July picnic. Piper gets excited because she could make friends there. But Milly Mae Miller, the source of the town's gossip spreads a rumor that Piper is crazy. Piper makes a friend called Susie Miller but during a conversation with her, Piper mentions that she saw Susie's mother kicking the butt of a dog. Susie gets scared, and not knowing that Piper can fly, she thinks that Piper is stalking her. Later, Piper embarrasses herself by always missing the ball during a game of kickball. Milly Mae was teasing her. So, Piper flies out to catch the ball. Everyone stares at her and the next day, reporters gather around her house to have the inside scoop on "The Girl who could fly". It attracts the attensiom of a woman called Dr. Hellion who works with kids with 'special abilities' After a visit from Dr. Hellion, Piper agrees to go to Dr. Hellion's academy on a condition that she doesn't fly. Her father gives her a hand carved bird before she leaves. When she arrives she takes the elevator to Level 13, Dr. Hellion explains that they foster plans and animals also with unique abilities too. Piper meets other members of the academy as well, including a girl named Bella and a boy named Conrad. At ;lunch Piper's glass slides back and forth, which is eventually found to be controlled by a girl called Lilly. Piper turns the tables on her spilling the water on Lully's dress. Back at class, Conrad bullies Jasper, a boy who forgot his talent , and bashes his basket up. He tricks Piper into flying to save herself from falling to her death, and Piper almost gets expelled from the academy. At dinner, Bella is seen making rainbows. They cheer, but they discover that Bella is crying. Piper later bonds with Dr. Hellion and the kids. Conrad pushes Bella to her tipping point and Bella steals Piper's bird and chucks it in the trash. She fights with Conrad and they are sent to Dr. Hellion's office. On the way Piper escapes and meets a growling rose, which a machine nearby sprays something black on it. A tiny drop land on Piper's arm and burns her. Next, when meets a turtle with a huge black crushing its back and Piper decides to leave her bird and help the animals. The turtle gets freed from the block and escapes out of a window. While trying to save it, Piper finds a black cricket who she later names Sebastian. She finds out that he is being bound by sticky glue. Using Q tips she frees it. She hears Jessie and Moo coming, so she hides in the room and finds a giraffe. It is being held by chains. While hiding, she hears Dr. Hellion's voice. When the scientists find that Sebastian is missing, CCTV reveals that Piper took it. Dr. Hellion heads back to her office, thinking that Piper is there. Quickly, Piper flies to Dr. Hellion's office and spots a phone, which she uses to dial her Mom and Dad. Conrad comes in and ends the call and said the phone is bugged. He hands Piper her bird, saying he made a replica and threw the replica in the trash. He tells her to keep the cricket and play along. Conrad said that Bella took the cricket and Piper just touched it. Dr. Hellion asks about the fight about the bird, and Conrad denies having anything to do with it. After lights out, Conrad explains that the...

September 1, 2008
Gr 5-8-Somewhere in the U.S., in a small farming community called Lowland County, a girl named Piper McCloud is born to a simple, God-fearing farmer and his wife. Piper has a special talent: she can fly. What follows is an uneasy mix of fantasy and science fiction that has plot points that are fairly derivative. When her talent for flying is discovered, a charismatic director of a special school takes Piper under her wing. She arrives at an amazing place with multiple floors and discovers a lot of other kids with extraordinary powers, tooas well as a nefarious plot to remove their special talents by altering their DNA. Character development is achieved by the author telling, not showing, readers, and speech patterns are not always successful. Piper's rural, colloquial manner of speech seems out of place in a time period that appears to be present day and borders on caricature, especially when she utters phrases such as, "Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit!" The writing style is clunky, and the author strives to be clever with wordplay. For example, the evil director of the school is named Dr. Letitia Hellion, and the German professor, whose accent is almost unintelligible, is named Dr. Mumbley. The acronym for the school, or institute, is I.N.S.A.N.E. (Institute of Normalcy, Stability, and NonExceptionality). The book ends with the kids taking over the school, and the affirmation of everyone's differences, and everyone's right to "be themselves." Libraries looking for engaging fantasy will want to look elsewhere."Jennifer Ralston, Harford County Public Library, Belcamp, MD"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from June 1, 2008
In thisterrific debut novel, readers meet Piper McCloud, the late-in-life daughter of farmers. Her parents revel in conformity, so its disconcerting at best when Piper shows a talent for flying.Homeschooled and kept away from outsiders, Piper is lonely. Finally, herparents let her go to a community picnic, whereshe thinks shell meet new friends. Instead, she terrifies the neighbors byflying uptocatch a ball during akidsgame.In no time, the McCloud farm is besieged. Then, out of a helicopter comes the empathetic Dr. Letitia Hellion, who whisks Piper off toa secret school for kids with special talents. But are things there what they seem to be? No.Forester getsalmost everything right here. The story soars, just like Piper, with enough loop-de-loops to keepkids uncertain about what will come next.Her plainspoken heroine has abig heart and a strong streak of defiance, andPipers reactionsalways seem true, even in the midst of sf machinations. Manyother charactersare alsoclearly setwithin the context of theirlives, giving themdimensionsometimes lacking in supporting casts. Best of all are the books strong, lightly wrapped messagesabout friendship andauthenticity and the difference between doing well and doing good.Give this to fans of Trenton Lee Stuarts The Mysterious Benedict Society(2007).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)