It's 1927, and the air race is on! Three pilots compete to be the first to fly across the Atlantic. In the spring of that year, three airplanes were at Roosevelt Field on Long Island preparing for a historic journey - a nonstop flight between New York and Paris. Which plane would be first? Most predicted that the Columbia, with renowned test pilot Clarence Chamberlin at the controls, would lead the way. Another plane, the America, was also a favorite. Its crew of four was headed by an authentic American hero, Richard E. Byrd, the famed Arctic explorer. Little was known about the third plane, the Spirit of St. Louis, piloted by a young flier named Charles Lindbergh. Fame and immortality awaited the winner. Based on primary sources, Three Across chronicles the daring feats of these courageous adventurers and the aftermath of their flights. Includes source notes, author's note, bibliography, and index.
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Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 5–8—Readers are asked to imagine when flight across the Atlantic Ocean was just an idea, a pipe dream as seemingly impossible as a trip to Mars. It was during this era, the 1920s, when Raymond Orteig offered $25,000 to the first person who could fly nonstop between New York and Paris. Finkelstein focuses on the players in this race, details how they prepared, documents their successes and failures, and records the world's reaction to the feat once it was accomplished. Charles Lindbergh is the most famous figure, but the efforts of others, including Commander Richard E. Byrd, Clarence Chamberlain, and Charles A. Levine are also chronicled. The author writes in an engaging storytelling voice. Period photos that show the key players and details of the planes break up multiple pages of text. Despite the images, there is a textbook look to the layout. Readers are left with a sense of the significance of the accomplishment and of the period between the World Wars when the pilots were embraced by the French and the Germans, and celebrated in America and worldwide for proving that flight had progressed to more than a novelty for thrill seekers. An excellent addition to collections on the history of flight.—Janet S. Thompson, Chicago Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
In an age when space shuttle launches go virtually ignored, it’s easy to forget that flying across the ocean was once considered impossible. Framing the story in a way that should enthrall any aviation fan, Finkelstein traces the rise of aviation from Kitty Hawk to the 1927 Orteig Prize, a $25,000 award for the first person to fly nonstop across the Atlantic. This book focuses on the first three flights to pull it off: the Spirit of St. Louis, piloted by an unknown Charles Lindbergh; the Columbia, led by ambitious shyster Charles A. Levine; and the America, boasting Arctic explorer Richard E. Byrd at the controls. The characterizations are a bit thin, but the tales of heartbreaking setbacks and maverick triumphs speed across the backdrop of the Roaring Twenties, and along the way, there are plenty of photos that put the reader inside the cramped cockpits and ticker-tape parades. Finkelstein tempers his sometimes breathless enthusiasm for these pioneers by concluding with some perspective, including Lindbergh’s anti-Semitic leanings. Grades 5-8. --Daniel Kraus
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More About the Author
Norman H. Finkelstein is the author of eighteen nonfiction books, mainly for young readers. He recently retired as a school librarian for the Brookline (Massachusetts) Public Schools but continues into his 29th year of teaching history in the Prozdor Department of Hebrew College. Among his writing honors are two National Jewish Book Awards, the Golden Kite Honor Book Award for Nonfiction and a "highly recommended" award from the Boston Author's Club.
His interest in history and biography developed early. "I was the only kid in the sixth grade who regularly read the New York Times," he said. His books reflect an eclectic view of his world. From his love of old-time radio came Sounds in the Air: The Golden Age of Radio and from his fascination with plastics came a social and cultural history called, simple enough, Plastics. He also serves as the series editor for the Jewish Publication Society's JPS Guides.
He is married to Rosalind who he calls "my first-line editor". They have three grown children and three grandchildren. Finkelstein lives in Framingham, Massachusetts.
His interest in history and biography developed early. "I was the only kid in the sixth grade who regularly read the New York Times," he said. His books reflect an eclectic view of his world. From his love of old-time radio came Sounds in the Air: The Golden Age of Radio and from his fascination with plastics came a social and cultural history called, simple enough, Plastics. He also serves as the series editor for the Jewish Publication Society's JPS Guides.
He is married to Rosalind who he calls "my first-line editor". They have three grown children and three grandchildren. Finkelstein lives in Framingham, Massachusetts.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Aviators,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Three Across: The Great Transatlantic Air Race of 1927 (Hardcover)
A very good book on four different types of brave men. The strangest is Charles Levine--not a brave man but a fearless one! "First I do, then I think" was his motto!
5.0 out of 5 stars
An amazing story of an amazing feat,
By
This review is from: Three Across: The Great Transatlantic Air Race of 1927 (Hardcover)
In today's nonstop jet age, it's hard to imagine life without air travel. Air transportation has certainly come a long way since the Wright Brothers. Today, you can easily jet across the Atlantic, but in 1919, aviation was still in its infancy and no one had flown across the Atlantic. So a hotel owner named Orteig offered the first pilot to fly nonstop across the Atlantic, from New York to Paris, a prize of $25,000. By 1927, the prize still had not been awarded and the feat was considered impossible. All over the world, people wondered if anyone would collect.Three Across is an amazing story of the first three men and planes who flew across the Atlantic. The book chronicles air transportation from the historic flight at Kitty Hawk to the great Atlantic race. Three airplanes were lined up preparing for the amazing feat. Most predicted that Columbia, with the well-known test pilot, Clarence Chamberlin, at the controls, would be first. Another plane, America, was also a favorite. It was not only multi-engined, but had a crew of four headed by an authentic American hero, Commander Richard E. Byrd, the famed Arctic explorer. Little was known about the third plane, the Spirit of St. Louis, a surprise late entry. It was to be piloted by a lanky unknown young airmail pilot named Charles Lindbergh. Finkelstein does a great job of filling the reader in on the history of each pilot, the difficulties of such a flight, and the crowds that gathered to witness history being made. The black and white photographs give young readers an idea of what flying at that time must have been like and remind us of the amazing steps aviation has taken since that first historic flight.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Three Across,
By Jewish Book World Magazine (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Three Across: The Great Transatlantic Air Race of 1927 (Hardcover)
This exciting nonfiction book invites the reader to witness the early days of aviation history by relating the story of the transatlantic flight that made Lindbergh a household name. Although many of today's students may know who Charles Lindbergh was, the information about the other pilots who attempted the transatlantic crossing is not well-known. The fact that one of the aviators involved, Charles A. Levine, was Jewish provides the only Jewish content in this gripping story. The third adventurer in this 1927 race across the Atlantic for a $25,000 prize was the famous explorer, Richard Byrd. This well-researched story has all the adventure of a novel, but all the facts are documented and the text is sprinkled with archival photos and copies of telegrams and newspaper headlines. Although the Judaic content is thin, this book is an excellent example of nonfiction writing and is highly recommended. Ages 9 - 13. Susan Dubin
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