About this item
Read Sherri L. Smiths posts on the Penguin BlogIda Mae Jones dreams of flight. Her daddy was a pilot and being black didnt stop him from fulfilling his dreams. But her daddys gone now, and being a woman, and being black, are two strikes against her. When America enters the war with Germany and Japan, the Army creates the WASP, the Womens Airforce Service Pilotsand Ida suddenly sees a way to fly as well as do something significant to help her brother stationed in the Pacific. But even the WASP wont accept her as a black woman, forcing Ida Mae to make a difficult choice of passing, of pretending to be white to be accepted into the program. Hiding ones racial heritage, denying ones family, denying ones self is a heavy burden. And while Ida Mae chases her dream, she must also decide who it is she really wants to be.
About the Author
Sherri L. Smith is the award-winning author of YA novels LUCY THE GIANT, SPARROW, HOT SOUR SALTY SWEET, FLYGIRL and ORLEANS. In October 2015, she makes her middle grade debut with THE TOYMAKER'S APPRENTICE from G.P. Putnam and Sons for Penguin Random House. Sherri has worked in film, animation, comic books and construction. Her books have been listed as Amelia Bloomer, American Library Association Best Books for Young People, and Junior Library Guild Selections. FLYGIRL was the 2009 California Book Awards Gold Medalist. She loves her family, travel, chocolate chip cookies, reading, and and a really good cup of tea.
