Horn Book (Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2020)

The rate of innovation during the first decade of flight is as astounding now as it must have been at the time. Sandler's compelling look at 1909's weeklong air meet -- the Grande Semaine d'Aviation de la Champagne, in Rheims, France -- captures the wonder and excitement of this early aviation event, which filled newspapers across the globe. Each chapter follows the fifteen pilots through a single day of races, challenges, and record-setting flights. Sometimes-harrowing descriptions of crashes, near crashes, and other close calls add to the tension, while Sandler's clear expository prose illuminates both the mechanical marvels of the age and their brash and courageous pilots. Opening chapters focusing on Wilbur Wright's 1908 flights in France twelve months prior to the festival and on Louis Bleriot's and Hubert Latham's competing attempts to cross the English Channel provide readers a primer on the technical and human challenges of early heavier-than-air travel. Sidebars throughout break up the narrative with additional background on many of the participants, influencers, and aeronautical innovations that made the eight days at Rheims the turning point in air travel's practicality. Sandler concludes with biographical information on these early flight pioneers, including their later accomplishments. Substantial back matter (though no detailed source notes) rounds out this impressive and highly readable look at an important inflection point in history. Pair with Sheinkin's Born to Fly: The First Women's Air Race Across America (rev. 9/19). Eric Carpenter

Kirkus Reviews

Oh, "those magnificent men in their flying machines"!National Book Award winner Sandler explores one brief but momentous week in the early history of aviation. Only about six years after the Wright brothers achieved their first 57-second flight, pilots from around the world gathered in Rheims, France, in August 1909 for the Champagne Region's Great Aviation Week (Grande Semaine d'Aviation de la Champagne). It was the first international air meet. Although the Wrights chose not to participate, the U.S. was well represented by Glenn Curtiss, whose limited experience matched that of other so-called veteran pilots of the era. They would all compete in their remarkably flimsy wood-and-fabric machines for a variety of large cash prizes, in the process captivating immense crowds and advancing aviation technology. The races are presented in thrilling detail and clearly placed in the context of the history of early aviation. A large collection of outstanding period photographs extends the tale. Unfortunately, in the midst of excellence, numerous additional topics, all about two pages long, are wedged in, nearly always interrupting the narrative midsentence-an annoying design flaw in this otherwise fine work. A final section provides a "postscript" of the lives, some sadly brief, of the aviators, mostly white and European, who participated at Rheims.Fascinating, eminently entertaining, and sometimes frustrating. (further reading, websites, museums, sources, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

The latest nonfiction offering from National Book Award winner Sandler (1919 The Year That Changed America) invites readers to the Champagne Region-s Great Aviation Week, held outside Rheims, France, in August 1909. Introducing elements of aviation before the meet, and the role of the Wright Brothers in its early days, Sandler continues by describing the preparations and then each of the seven days of the event. Abundant historical photos introduce the pilots, their planes, and the elaborate facilities, which were comparable to those of a world-s fair. Sophisticated text and French terminology, some of which is untranslated, may make this a challenging read. But the firsthand accounts-including descriptions of competing aviators, their planes, and their performances, as well as the media reaction-will enthrall young aviation enthusiasts, introducing them to aspects of aviation history beyond Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh. Two-page sections highlight individual fliers, prizes, and other interesting topics such as dirigibles. Back matter includes synopses of the competing pilots- lives, along with suggestions for further reading, places to visit, and a bibliography, making this a useful classroom and library resource. Ages 10-14. (July)

School Library Journal (Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2020)

Gr 6-10 Sandler's historical overview of aviation focuses on a weeklong air show in the fall of 1908 in Reims, France. The events featured thrilling contests for speed and distance and hosted many of the prominent aviators and aircraft builders of the day, including fierce competition between the American flight pioneer Glenn Curtiss and Frenchman Louis Blériot, the first person to fly across the English Channel. A common theme throughout is the extreme risk for early pilots, such as Peruvian aviator Jorge Chávez, the first person to fly across the Alps, who crashed on descent and died from his injuries. Numerous supplemental texts highlight tangential topics (the design differences between biplanes and single-wing aircraft, the evolution of dirigibles during the same time, and "Women in the Air," spotlighting pilots such as Bessie Coleman, the first Black and Native American woman to earn her pilot's license). Copious period photos are integrated cleanly with the text and design. Additional illustrations include newspaper pages and promotional posters. Back matter contains a list of related books, websites, and places to visit, such as the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport, NY. No source notes are included, but a bibliography and an annotated list of significant sources are included. VERDICT The topic doesn't fall easily into categories and might require hand selling, but this captivating nonfiction read will appeal to anyone interested in the history of flight, inventions, or thrill sports. Bob Hassett, Luther Jackson M.S., Falls Church, VA