When America enters World War II, the Army creates the Women's Air Force Service Pilots (WASP). Having always dreamed of flying, Ida Mae Jones, a young African-American woman, suddenly sees a way to fly as well as do something significant to help her brother stationed in the Pacific. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Smith (Lucy the Giant) brings a gripping perspective to bear upon a lesser-known piece of America's past: during WWII, the government recruited women pilots to fly non-combat missions, e.g., ferrying planes. Driven by a desire to fly and wanting to help her enlisted brother, Ida Mae decides to pass as white so she can join the program. The author has an expert grasp on her subject, and readers will learn plenty about the Women Airforce Service Pilots, from their impractical uniforms to the dangerous missions they flew without reward. Ida Mae's unique point of view gives her special insight into the often poor treatment of women: when a pilot friend gets frustrated by a stunt they are asked to perform, Ida realizes, "Lily's just finding out what I've been living with my whole life. She's never known what it was like to be hobbled by somebody else's rules." Key scenes demonstrate how much Ida has sacrificed by passing, as when her much darker mother visits her on Christmas and, Ø la Imitation of Life, poses as the family housekeeper. Although this book feels constructed to educate, readers will find the lesson well crafted. Ages 12-up. (Jan.) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Ida Mae Jones dreams of flying, an almost impossible aspiration for a black woman in 1940s America. With the coming of World War II she passes for white to join the WASPs-the Women's Airforce Service Pilots-and serves her country ferrying planes across the country. Why It Is for Us: This fictional story celebrates the esprit de corps of the young women who joined the WASPs, whose heroism was not acknowledged until the 1970s. Ida Mae and her friends are modeled after real-life WASPs yet come alive with their own indomitable spirit. Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr 6-10-Readers first meet 18-year-old Ida Mae Jones, a Louisiana girl who longs to be a pilot, in December 1941, on the eve of America's entrance into World War II. She is pretty and smart, but she has two huge strikes against her. She is black in an America where racism holds sway, and a competent pilot in an America in which she is denied her license because she is a woman. Smith explores these two significant topics and does a wonderful job of melding the two themes in one novel. Ida Mae is a likable character who is torn by the need to pass for white and fake a license in order to fulfill her dream. Readers learn a great deal about what it must have been like to be African American in the South during this period, as well as about the Women Airforce Service Pilots, WASP, a civilian group that performed jobs that freed male pilots for other things. The women's close friendships and the danger, excitement, and tragedy of their experience create a thrilling, but little-known story that begs to be told. The book is at once informative and entertaining. In the end, readers are left to wonder what Ida Mae Jones will do with the rest of her life.-Carol Jones Collins, Columbia High School, Maplewood, NJ Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information