Born to Fly

National Book Award finalist Steve Sheinkin takes on the 1929 Women's Air Derby, the first official all-female air race in the US. Just nine years after American women finally got the right to vote, a group of trailblazers soared to new heights in the 1929 Air Derby, the first official women-only air race across the US. Follow the incredible lives of legend Amelia Earhart, who has captivated generations of young women; Marvel Crosson, who built a plane with her own hands before she even learned how to fly; Louise Thaden, who bravely shattered jaw-dropping altitude records; and Elinor Smith, who made headlines at age seventeen when she flew under the Brooklyn Bridge. Nonfiction powerhouse Steve Sheinkin deftly weaves together the stories of these women, culminating in a suspenseful, nail-biting air race across the country that brings to life the glory and grit of the dangerous and thrilling early days of flying.