Review Detail

Historical fiction that explores the hardships and accomplishments of a 12 year Dawn, who's life is upended as her family moves to Texas from Chicago to be closer to her grandfather. She has to deal with bullies, death, and adjusting to life in a new place. Her grandfather trains horses for racing and it's always been her dream to have her own horse. Her aunt is transferred from England back to the US to participate in an experimental military program to train female pilots to aid in the war effort. As the base (Avenger Field) is located just a short distance from her new home, Dawn volunteers to assist however she can and becomes friends with the WASPs and integral to the operations of the base.

I love that there is an entire section at the end of the book that has historical photos of the era as well as the WASPs and Avenger Field. These days, it's very common for women and people of color to be in the military, but back in WWII times were different and women and people of color didn't have the same rights or were considered inferior and sadly, most of today's school curriculum overlooks this.

I'm a bit of a history fan when it comes to WWII, so even though this is billed as a novel for young adults, I enjoyed it because it gives a glimpse in to something that isn't covered a lot.... the role women played in the military in WWII.

I'm hoping the author continues Dawn's story, because there is a ton of potential for future novels!