Hello everyone and welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Flight by Vanessa Harbour hosted through Turn the Page Tours. I am thrilled to share my thoughts regarding this fast paced WWII story.
Tour Schedule
March 15th
Turn the Page Tours – Welcome Post
Popthebutterfly Reads
March 16th
March 17th
Stuck in the Stacks with Haley & Winston
March 18th
March 19th
March 20th
March 21st
About The Book
Flight: A Novel of a Daring Escape During World War II by Vanessa Harbouron March 2, 2021
Pages: 240
Goodreads
Inspired by a real mission, Vanessa Harbour's middle grade audiobook Flight is a story of courage, friendship, and dancing horses.
Everyone deserves to be free and feel safe, even horses.
Austria 1945. SS officers visit the Spanish Riding School stables, determined to find the Jewish boy, Jakob, they believe to be hidden there. Luckily for the boy, they are called away--but not before one shoots and kills his favorite horse. It's clear to Jakob and his guardian that they are no longer safe there. Traveling with all the horses will be risky, but the alternative--staying--is even more dangerous.
On the way, they're joined by Kizzy, a Roma girl. Together, the trio travels to the safety they hope to find on the other side of the mountains. Along the way are life-threatening obstacles...including an injury that could prove to be deadly.A Macmillan Audio production from Feiwel & Friends
About the Author
Vanessa Harbour was born in Bromsgrove, England. She is Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Winchester and also works as Editor and Academic & Business Consultant at the Golden Egg Academy. Flight is her first novel.
My Thoughts
This fast paced historical middle grade novel is a compelling and brutal read set during WWII. The story follows Jakob, an orphaned Jewish boy who has been taken in by horse instructor Herr Engel.
When the novel opens, Herr Engel and Jakob make the decision to leave the farmhouse where they have been hiding out. This is involves transporting the stallions in Here Engel’s care on horseback. What follows is a perilous journey full of dangerous obstacles and harrowing experiences.
The story is told from Jakob’s POV but he is joined by Kizzy, a nomadic Roma girl who has a way with horses and survival skills which frequently get our protagonists and the horses out of tight spots.
I was initially drawn to Flight because of the horse aspect and it did not disappoint. There is a trigger warning for death to animals as early as the first few pages, so those sensitive to that should keep that in mind.
Ultimately, I really enjoyed Flight, giving it 4? and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a unique WWII novel or who loves horses.
What About You?
Have you read Flight? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments!
I’m gonna add this to my TBR! I’m intrigued that’s it’s a middle-grade novel about WW! Sounds interesting!
I hope you like it, when you get around to reading it!