Book Review: The Girl Who Could Fly

"The Girl Who Could Fly" by Victoria Forester

One of the taglines on this book describes this book as Little House on the Prairie meets X-Men. I would have to say, that odd little combination is a pretty accurate description. This book is about a young girl, Piper McCloud, who discovers she has the ability to fly. As she grows, Piper develops and harnesses that ability. But not everyone around her is as thrilled as she is. Her parents keep her hidden away and home from school for years, in an effort to hide her ability to fly. Then one day, they attend a community event and as fate would have it, her ability is exposed and the fall out is just as they expected; rumors, gossip and unwanted media attention. Then Dr. Letitia Hellion comes to the rescue and invites her to stay with other children who have similar abilities in a secure and safe location. But is it really a rescue? You must read to find out!

The clever writing immediately sucked me into the story. Piper really is from Little House on the Prairie it seems, and Victoria Forester does a great job expressing a unique voice for Piper. From a young reader's perspective, this book has it all. Adventure, unique characters, super hero elements, a bad guy (lady) and a bit of mystery. 

Piper seemed a little out of place, naïve and old-school, of course she was isolated at home with old-fashioned parents in a very small, backwoods sort of community. The other supporting characters are more current and nicely developed. The antagonist, Dr. Hellion, also has a valid backstory. The setting is believable and fun, especially for a young reader. 

Near the end, the writing seemed to stumble and was uncharacteristic of the rest of the novel, which is unfortunate because it was right in the middle of the climax. There was also a mysterious character who shows up a few times and you're left wondering who he is and why he was even there. It leaves a loose-end like there may be more to come. But honestly, I would prefer it as a stand alone book. 

Not compelling enough to span age groups, I think it is a great book for early readers, 3-5 grade level.

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