Customer Reviews

The Girl Who Could Fly

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Like most people, the thought of flying totally grabbed me... I so wanted to know more about the girl that could fly and I was expecting exactly that, a story about a girl with an amazing ability. Unfortunately, I got a book that turned into a preaching-against-the-norms-of-society and not a story of a girl that can fly.

The book started off with a nice set up, great characters and great lore, but it then tilted towards "raging against the status qou" when Piper started to systematically get herself into trouble for no good reason. None of her antics helped the story line (the plot drags for a while) and she didn't even do get into trouble in a funny or heroic way. This book was just a glorification of the unique at the expense of what we know as normal.

Piper was defiant, disobedient and simply didn't listen or learn from her own mistakes. Not that I'm against defiance. Rebellion has propelled many a good story into thrills and unforgettable plot lines but this book is not one of those stories. I mean, Piper flew at the dumbest times and never once showed any type of self preservation or concern for others; her actions came across as much more than simply naive, Piper came across as simply silly, self centered and even insensitive.

[SPOILER] It was too bad too, because, there where some great characters in this book! Conrad is a terrifying villain and should have remained as such; the minute he "turned good" was disturbing and almost impossible to believe. It wasn't a twist in the story as much as a 180 degree turn made you dizzy and disconnected from the book you just invested considerable time into.

[SPOILER] Conrad's "conversion" only made Piper seem even more gullible; you'd think that after having been "ticked" into not flying by Dr. Hellion, she would have used more caution in believing Conrad. Once Conrad's "true identity" was discovered, it TOTALLY took the focus away from Piper! He became the source of information and heroics while Piper continued to see the world in such a way that just got her and others into more trouble.

[SPOILER] And Dr. Hellion, wow, what a character! I loved her too, but the moment she told Piper not to fly, I already knew she had something up her sleeve. And the way she understood and excepted Piper, I knew she too had to have a power or ability. I was waiting to see what she could do and how she had discovered it. But to learn that Dr. Hellion was a great flier the refused to fly -for no good reason- is a WASTE of character. At least allow Dr. Hellion her use her flying for evil!! I would have paid to see her do that! And in the end the end, when Piper "couldn't save someone that didn't want to be saved"... ugh, how lame. The Dr. was too quickly labeled as simply "bad" and that was the real end of her development as a character... *sighs.

I didn't pick up this book to find a scale for morality but since the book seemed to hinge on the actions and point of view of people, I must mention that I didn't like the way certain people where viewed in this book.

The farmers -Pipers family, no less- where only in the book to be scoffed at and then later "converted" to Piper's way of seeing the world. This book made it seem as if, just because they didn't see the world in the specific way Piper saw it, it meant that everyone else's point of view is wrong. And thats not cool. Besides, seeing the world from Piper's point of view made Piper loney and an easy target -too easy for a lead character.

I totally hated the ridicule and deconstruction of Piper's parents, family, unique culture and heritage; that wasn't nice. Still I "got over it" and finished the book... the experience of reading it was rather disappointing.

Two stars for great character and lore set up but sorry story execution.

For Piper McCloud, learning to fly was the easy part. The real challenge is making friends, staying true to her principles, and surviving an educational system that is literally INSANE. Along the way she must deal with operatic crickets, lead a rebellion of other super-powered students, and protect her naturally buoyant spirit from the dreaded Dr. Hellion.

This is a most extraordinary book, full of adventure, unapologetically eccentric and unashamedly hopeful. Its heroine, Piper McCloud, wants to use her special ability to help people -- unfortunately for her, the reality of a flying girl is more than drab Lowland County can handle. When Piper's whisked away to a self-proclaimed school for other super-skilled children, she thinks she's going to learn how to fly like a pro. Too late, she discovers the school's true agenda: to stamp out all traces of specialness in the sacred name of Normality.

The author tells her story with a sense of whimsy that is upbeat but also wised-up: Piper is a natural optimist, yet she also pays a price for her eagerness. The humor is balanced with plenty of drama and occasional touches of sadness (the singing cricket is an affecting scene stealer), and characters you'll start missing as soon as you turn the last page. It's a great book for lovers of Madeleine L'Engle and C.S. Lewis. Though it never leaves our world, it gives you the kind of magic you can believe in.

I HIGHLY recommend this book!

I am a big fan of reading that one
might consider me a read-aholic.
Some of my all time favorite kids
books have been Anne of Green Gables,
Because of Winn Dixie, A Wrinkle in
Time and the Harry Potter Series.

The Girl Who Could Fly is a must read for
everyone who likes real life meets fantasy
books. Like Anne of Green Gables,The Girl
Who Could Fly begins in an endearing small
town farm community and suddenly takes you
into a fantasy world like Harry Potter.

With each chapter you are given a very well
written and detailed look into a fascinating
world never yet described in any other book
or film. The story sucks you in and you find
yourself not wanting to put the book down.

I just fell in love with Piper's kind heart,
sense of justice, passion and curiosity. And
as I read on, I also fell in love with many
of the other characters like Bella, Jasper,
Lily and yes, even Conrad.

Like Conrad, at times each one of us believes
that we are justified in doing what we do....even
if what we choose is at someone else's expense.

One of my favorite descriptions of Conrad from
the book is,

"CONRAD SILENTLY SEETHED, GETTING MADDER
AND MEANER BY THE SECOND. AT THAT MOMENT,HE
WAS MEANER AND MADDER THAN HE'D EVER BEEN,BUT
MAINLY AT HIMSELF,WHICH IS THE WORST KIND OF
MEAN AND MAD TO BE, BECAUSE THE ONLY THING TO
DO ABOUT IT IS TO TAKE IT OUT ON SOMEONE ELSE."

There are so many wonderful twists and turns, funny
and heartfelt moments and great life lessons that
the story and characters still touch me deeply
or make me laugh when I think about the book
from time to time.

I recommend you buy the book and tell all your friends!

When my granddaughter purchased this book at a school book fair, I was excited to see this 3rd grade gifted student choosing books for herself. I let her know that the book looked interesting, and that I'd like to read it when she was finished. She was busy with another book, so she offered to let me read it first. I loved the cover art and the title; the endorsement by Stephenie Meyer was intriguing. Unfortunately, I soon remembered why one should not "judge a book by its cover."

While the premise -- "Little House on the Prairie" meets "X-Men" -- hooked me at the start, the violent shifting between the McCloud family's "hayseed" language and the over-the-top scientific and psychological language of the narrator left me dizzy - and bored. Not only was little Piper verbose, but the narrator's frequent explanations which included "the fact of the matter" crossed the line into wordiness as well. The contrasts in the technology of the I.N.S.A.N.E. facility and the ludicrous comments made by the obviously ignorant Millie Mae (and the stereotypical characterization of Sally Sue, Rory Ray, et al) contribute to a cartoonish piece of writing.

Additionally, the torture of any form of life appalls me, but the bullying and abuse of the children in the story by adults offended me. The book portrays adults in the book as gossiping, ignorant, self-righteous, manipulative, vindictive, and evil. Not one is a true role model, not even Betty and Joe McCloud.

I was initially introduced to The Girl Who Could Fly through Stephenie Meyer's Web site. Since the last book Ms. Meyer recommended was The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins -- probably my favorite book of 2008 -- I quickly tracked down her new recommendation. Even the book's front cover carries Meyer's review, so the book's intended audience is pretty obvious.

In her review, Meyer calls The Girl Who Could Fly "the sweetest/oddest mix of Little House on the Prairie and X-Men." I can see where she's coming from. The author does some interesting things that are surprising, and the book really was nothing like I expected it to be.

The first interesting point is the lack of a defined point in time for the story -- or at least, the author's shrouding of the point in time. The title character, Piper McCloud, is a home-schooled farm girl raised by no-nonsense, but loving, parents. She's a chatterbox with big ideas and dreams that extend well beyond her hum-drum reality of chores and isolation. I assumed from the first five or so chapters that the book took place during pioneer days -- until Piper reveals her gift at a town event, and the helicopters and parade of black SUVs sweep in....

Piper is taken to a special institution for gifted kids like her. In time, it becomes clear that the seemingly well meaning instructors and staff don't want the children to learn to harness their talents -- they want to coerce them into being normal and like everyone else. They're also housing other extraordinary creatures, like a luminescent giraffe and a cricket that sings opera, that they're trying to "rehabilitate" through genetic modification and drugs. They try to convince Piper that her flying hurts the people she loves. When that fails, they use other means to keep her from flying...

This was a cute story. The author has a lot of fun with the names she chooses for her characters, and it's written at a very age appropriate tone and level for young adults. It's squeaky clean and has a great message about celebrating differences and the importance of never giving up. I don't think it transfers quite as well to an adult audience as some other "hot" YA books, but its a unique story that is definitely memorable.

My thirteen-year-old started reading later than (used to be) average. I've been trying to find him books that catch his attention so much he can't stop reading. And if they also make him talk or ask questions about the book, so much the better.

The Girl Who Could Fly was perfect for this.

It is more science fiction than fantasy. The "girl" of the title is a rural child born late and unexpectedly to her parents. They are themselves strict conformists in their community and abashed at what they have given birth to, an otherwise lovely child who can, well, ahem, uh, ... fly. So they tell her to hide her ability so their neighbors won't talk. This part of the book is truly funny and I found myself reading sections of it aloud to my wife.

(It is especially nice how easy it is to read this book aloud. The language flows and makes the reader think that the author had it in mind that the book would be read aloud.)

After the first few chapters lay the background, there is a slightly awkward transition that changes the book's nature from fantasy to sci-fi. The government steps in and takes the girl away to a special "school". This is not a new idea for most juveniles today; and everyone will expect what happens next as the girl arrives at the not-as-benevolent-as-it-was-described center for people like her.

But this familiarity is not damaging. All stories have been told a thousand times; it is the telling that matters. And here the author does not fail us at all. We learn the hearts of all the characters; and we learn it in ways that constantly provoke insightful questions.

One reviewer quoted:
"CONRAD SILENTLY SEETHED, GETTING MADDER AND MEANER BY THE SECOND. AT THAT MOMENT,HE WAS MEANER AND MADDER THAN HE'D EVER BEEN,BUT MAINLY AT HIMSELF,WHICH IS THE WORST KIND OF MEAN AND MAD TO BE, BECAUSE THE ONLY THING TO DO ABOUT IT IS TO TAKE IT OUT ON SOMEONE ELSE."

I shared the same pleasure that reviewer had in the passage. What makes it truly special, though, is that it makes the attentive reader ask himself a question: "Is that how it really is? Is that what I do?"

In fact, from beginning to end, such questions arise. They come about naturally and without being threatening; but they lead to personal insight ... and great discussions between parent and child.

This is a wonderful book. What I find ironic is that what makes it wonderful is the very thing that made the reviewer for the ALA dislike it. She thought the book "told" too much rather than showing it; but what we are told is the interior confusion and complexity often masked by words and action. What comes out is usually a disguise for what happens within. Perhaps for mature readers, such subtleties are more easily unraveled; perhaps, not. But for new readers (and even readers like myself) there is a delightful sense of discovery and rightness with each new chapter.

----------------------------------------
By the way, if you read and enjoy this book (as did my son), other books I'd recommend for you and your children would be:

The Gregor the Overlander series and The Hunger Games series, both by Suzanne Collins.

The Airborn series and the Silverwing series and anything else by Kenneth Oppel.

Any of the teen-level books by Cornelia Funke.

I thought that the plot was excellent, although it had some unexpected twists that I sort of expected. The scene where the kids are crushed, their personalities taken away by drugs, is gruesome. I am also dissapointed that this J. person is mentioned mysteriously at the end, but remains unknown. Sounds like the beginning of a sequel.

p.s. i an not so great at spelling plus it is past midnight as i am writing this.

The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester is an excellent book. It was suspenseful from the very beginning. The author writes about Piper McCloud, an extraordinary girl living in an ordinary town with ordinary people. Piper is a young girl who wants friends and wants to be an average girl. However, her parents won't allow her to act like herself and behave the way she would like to. Her parents, who live on a farm, homeschool Piper and are embarrassed and frustrated by Piper's abnormality. Piper can fly. In the beginning of the book, Piper finds out she can fly and the only thing she wants to do is practice flying. One day, when she goes to a neighborhood picnic and plays in a baseball game, Piper unleashes her talent and swirls in the air like a bird. She is so exhilarated by the feeling of flying that she sneaks away from her parents to do it again. There is a lot of gossiping around the community that Piper is strange. Suddenly, a woman shows up at Piper's house and asks if she will go to a special school where she can be among the other boys and girls with talents similar to Pipers. This school is called I.N.S.A.N.E which stands for Institute of Normalcy, Stability, and NonExceptionality. This school is more like a prison than a schoolhouse. The students have a rigid schedule, have special prepared meals, and a clear bedtime. The woman lies to Piper and instead of helping Piper improve her talent, Piper and the other students find out that the school is actually trying to prevent the kids from using them. They are brainwashing the kids. The reader discovers the main problem in the middle of the story when Piper learns that she is being lied to at the school and the kids really are like prisoners. The only resolution is going to be for the students to break out, or to get rid of the teachers. Later in the story, Piper befriends several of the students and enlists their help with a plan to break out of the institute. Upon conclusion of the story, Piper and her fellow students finally figure out a way to solve their problem. They will overtake the institution. Their plan works and the students are able to come and go as they please. At the end of the book, Forester describes the new institute as a place where people with exceptional abilities can visit and be with others similar to them. As you can see, this book has a clever plot with thrilling events that will keep you turning pages until the very end. I read it because it is one of the Sunshine State Books this year, and so far, it is my favorite. I'm sure you will enjoy it as much as I did. Happy Reading! By TT

Ostensibly about a child (and then even more children) with superpowers, it even more notably about any child that is different and ostracized because of the lack of conformity. The main character is raised in a family and town that values conformity above all else, who must decide whether to acknowledge and embrace her uniqueness or supress it. All pre-teens and teenagers face the challenge of determining their self-identity and separating from their parents' images of them. While a dramatic portrayal of this rite of pasage for those coming of age, it is a beautiful example of believeing in yourself.

This is the story of a girl born into a very conservative family, the kind of family that always does things the way they've always been done. The only problem is, the girl, Piper, can fly. And that is certainly not something that people have always done. So when a woman comes to to take Piper to a school made just for people like Piper, it seems perfect. Some of the kids can move things with their mind or see through things or control electricity. Others can change their size or control the weather. Once there, Piper discovers that not everything is as it seems. Friends and enemies are not as clear as it first appears. The school may not be to help people like Piper after all. Piper, with the help of the other kids in the institute, must escape before they lose their special abilities once and for all.

The premise behind this movie certainly isn't the most unique of stories. It's sort of a kid's version of the X-Men. The story is fun but what made it hard for me to get through was that Piper, the main character, was not endearing. She was supposed to be sweet and inquisitive, full of energy. To me she was just as annoying as most people found her to be, but whereas the characters grew to appreciate her talkative nature, all I wanted was for her to be quiet. And while she was meant to say strange things with a Southern accent to exemplify her upbringing, I found it disruptive.

One of the premises of the story is that if you don't use your magic you will lose it. But this is contradicted in one of the final scenes of the book which makes me wonder if ultimately there was no threat and you just had to make people remember. There's also the question of J which remains unresolved. I think he could have played a bigger, more interesting part in the story. I also wonder why he (who I believe to be Johnny), as an adult, could not see what the children saw, which is that they have abilities and the people of the institute do not.

My final problem came from the fact that I think the narrative was somewhat contradictory. It made me feel like I didn't know if I could trust the narrator, who was omniscient, which is a strange feeling. Specifically, the way that Conrad was described constantly contradicted itself. He'd grown mean and mad, except that he was always trying to help everyone, but he was mean and mad, but he was saving people...Mean and mad just wasn't the right term for how he was feeling. Pragmatic, pessimistic, clinical, those are all things that describe him. Granted, this is a kids' book so you'd need to find words that aren't so difficult, but it just felt like the narrator got it wrong.

Ultimately, I found that the book fell short. It had the potential to be really exciting but the details didn't all add up and the characters didn't make me want to root for them beyond the fact that they're children and it's awful for them to be mistreated. (So, it was a generic root for the good guys, not a feel bad and really care for them kind of feeling.)