The Discovery of Flight

Gr 5–8—A sensitive story of sisters, love, and loss, told via interweaving narratives. Precocious 12-year-old Sophie is focused on preparing for her Bat Mitzvah, improving her drawing abilities, and writing in her journal. Sophie's older sister Libby, 16, is consumed with a secret project: she is writing a story to give to Sophie on her 13th birthday. Libby lives with cerebral palsy, and the allegorical tale she is crafting will give Sophie a new means for understanding her sister. Chapters alternate between Sophie's realistic-fiction journal and the fantasy tale, "The Discovery of Flight," written by Libby. This story within a story follows Aya the hawk, who discovers she can share the thoughts of a human girl named Terra. Aya and Terra's symbiotic friendship mirror the changing relationship between Libby and Sophie. Chapters from Sophie's journal capture the humor and awkward self-consciousness of its tween author. The realism of Sophie's journal is reinforced by her increasingly skillful drawings.