Starred Review A good piece of historical fiction is a taut balancing act, and Wein walks a high-wire in her latest. Deftly weaving in details about the Italo-Ethiopian War in 1935, she traces the stunning story of Teo and Emilia, not related by blood but as good as brother and sister, who came to live in Ethiopia in 1930, just as tensions begin to build between the free African nation and the Italians occupying neighboring Eritrea and Somaliland. Told through their essays, journal entries, flight logs, and a series of adventure stories they authored together, Em and Teo's story is presented as an entreaty to the emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie, in a brazen attempt (helped along by Em's gift of a stolen Italian plane) to guarantee their safe departure from the country after the war escalates to dangerous heights. It's a bit of an understatement to say that Teo and Em had an unconventional childhood. They grew up on the road in the U.S. with their inseparable mothers, African American Delia and white Rhoda, who performed a high-flying daredevil act as Black Dove and White Raven. The barnstorming foursome is mostly content, but Delia and Teo, whose late father was Ethiopian, face prejudice in America and long for life in Ethiopia, where Teo can be treated with respect and even honor. Moving to Africa is a long, complicated process, but it becomes even more complicated when Delia is killed in an accident. Rhoda, utterly heartbroken by her flying partner's death, is left to raise Teo and Em, whose Italian father is stationed in East Africa, on her own, but she still holds tight to Delia's dream, determined to bring Em and Teo to Ethiopia to prove Delia's idea is a good one. And at first, it is. In their new home at Beehive Hill Farm, a cooperative coffee plantation, Teo and Em have a stable community, go to school, and write extensively, from essays recounting their experiences to comics-inspired, high-flying adventure stories starring their fictional personas, Black Dove (Teo), who can render himself invisible, and White Raven (Em), who is a master of disguise and derring-do. But the fantasy of their adventure stories can't hold water forever, and their romantic vision starts to crack. Ethiopia is certainly better for Teo, who is not threatened with violence or prejudice because of the color of his skin, but it's not an easy place for outspoken Em, since "it was a lot harder being a girl in Ethiopia than it was in Pennsylvania." And though they find an easy home at Beehive Hill, elsewhere in the country they're ferenji, or foreign. But nothing is as destructive, of course, as the growing threat of Italian invasion and Haile Selassie's conscription of all Ethiopian men, which puts Teo, who is Ethiopian by birth, in real danger. War really comes home to Teo and Em when Rhoda starts teaching the teens to fly on their own. After Delia's death, Rhoda swore that Teo and Em would never pilot planes, but to protect Teo, she changes her tune: Ethiopia's troops, armed with spears and machetes, were hopelessly unprepared for the Italian air force, and a pilot's license means Teo would never face ground combat. As the war builds to a frightening crescendo, Wein truly demonstrates her masterful hand. While subtly remarking on the politics of the conflict and touching on key historical events, she keeps the narrative firmly grounded in Teo and Em's experiences, in particular their growing anger not only over the Italian invasion but the dream their mothers got so wrong. Em and Teo are beautifully well-rounded characters, and the confessional quality of the writing is the perfect vehicle for their complex, changing feelings about Ethiopia and what constitutes a home. Is it family? community? faith? country? heritage? Wein never lands too heavily on any one in particular. Rather, she emphasizes how interweaving complexities create robust but fraught lines of connection that carry tremendous power: "Spiderwebs joined together can catch a lion." Like Em and Teo's tangled history, Ethiopia's is an intricate crosshatch of tradition, progress, conflict, and rich heritage, and Wein gracefully pilots both piercing stories, highlighting the unique circumstances of Ethiopia in the 1930s and the ubiquitous experience of two teens trying to find their places in the world.

Gr 8 Up-In her latest World War II-era novel, Wein returns to themes of aviation and the enduring bonds of platonic love and friendship. Best friends Rhoda, a white Quaker, and African American Delia were "barnstorming" pilots, a team who performed in air shows across the United States as White Raven and Black Dove, their children, Emilia and Teo, in tow. When Delia is killed in a plane crash, Rhoda commits to fulfilling Delia's dream for Teo—to live in a land where he wouldn't be judged by the color of his skin—and moves them all to Ethiopia, where Teo's father was born. Life on the coffee farm at Tazma Meda is wonderful, especially since Rhoda is teaching the children to fly, but rumors of invasion by Italy become reality, and bureaucratic snafus mean that the family can't leave the country. Then the war becomes even more personal when all young men of Ethiopian heritage are conscripted. Wein continues to present multidimensional characters within her effortless prose. VERDICT Highly recommended for all libraries, especially where her previous titles have flown off the shelves.— Stephanie Klose , School Library Journal

A largely atmospheric and historically relevant novel, this title focuses on the Italo-Ethiopian War of 1935. Wein (again) successfully uses well-researched facts combined with vivid characters. Emilia and Teo are being raised by Emilia's mother after a tragic accident killed Teo's mother, Delia. Delia and Rhoda were a flying duo who entertained crowds by flying airplanes and performing stunts. After Delia's death, Rhoda tries to fulfil their combined fantasy of raising their children together in a place that appreciates their race. Teo, being from an Ethiopian father, is teased in the Quaker Pennsylvania area where Rhoda's family is from, so Rhoda moves them to Ethiopia at a crucial period in the country's history. Demonstrating her understanding of this time period, Wein embeds the now teenaged characters into Ethiopian politics and flying. Rhoda, Emilia and Teo all find their footing in the electricity of the culture while also challenging it.Unfolding in a series of letters, invented stories, narrative, and journals, the book will be appreciated by serious historical fiction fans and lovers of Wein's writing, but will not have broad appeal to the average teen reader. Its richness is character-driven and situational as the protagonists explore their loyalties and friendship while they also create new identities. Distraction caused by the varied techniques employed to share this story, combined with a precise attention to the details of this war, make it difficult to fully engage.Alicia Abdul.