High Flyers: 15 Inspiring Women Aviators and Astronauts

Description

Age range 12 to 18 These 15 women fly outside the lines. Soar beside Black Hawk helicopter pilot turned politician Tammy Duckworth, hot air balloonist Edgora McEwan, or medevac pilot Dede Murawsky. Higher up, meet commercial and military aviators such as the Coast Guard's Ronaqua Russell, the first African American female to receive the prestigious Air Medal for her rescue efforts during Hurricane Harvey. Next, ride along with Tammie Jo Shults, whose story includes a harrowing catastrophic engine failure while in command of 148 people aboard Southwest's Flight 1380. Others share their experiences in military high-performance jets, the Stratotanker, or while flying for the Blue Angels. Reaching past the bounds of Earth are astronauts who have launched in the cramped Russian rocket, the Soyuz, orbited Earth while conducting critical science experiments, or lived aboard the International Space Station. In all cases, the women in this book faced obstacles. Throughout their rise to incredible accomplishment, these courageous go-getters persevered and endured, insisting on success. Ultimately, each succeeded on her path to flight. These diverse high-flyers are dreamers and doers who believed, despite the odds, that soaring is possible.

Ann McCallum Staats is the author of Thrill Seekers, Women Heroes of the US Army, The Secret Life of Math--which won ForeWord's INDIE Gold Book of the Year--and the Eat Your Homework series. She holds a BA in Education from University of Victoria, BC, and an MA in Education from the University of Maryland. She is currently an ESOL high school teacher and a member of SCBWI and the Children's Book Guild of Washington, DC.

"A collective biography showing flight careers as normal, exciting, and attainable." -- Kirkus Reviews "Ann McCallum Staats has captured all the right messages: Dream big, Find a way, Yes, it's worth it, Live a big life--all delivered through the inspiring stories of real people. You want the young people in your life to read this book. Their world will open because of it." --Major General Jami C. Shawley, Commander of the 81st Readiness Division "Ann McCallum Staats has expertly curated 15 inspiring stories of female aviators and astronauts that are important for women, and men, to know. These pioneers deserve their rightful attention in classrooms everywhere." --James Theres, executive producer/director, The SixTripleEight, The Hello Girls, and The 30th of May "High Flyers is a remarkable story of strong women who became pioneers and inspired other women and girls around the globe, including myself. All these strong women dreamed big. They followed through, knowing that if your dreams don't scare you, they are not big enough." --Niloofar Rahmani, author of Open Skies "A fast, fun, and personal introduction to fifteen of today's most inspiring women in aviation and space." --P. O'Connell Pearson, author of Fly Girls