From School Library Journal
Grade 6-9–Ben, who prefers to be called Icarus, has been convinced since infancy that he will one day sprout wings and fly. As this debut novel is lacking slightly in the subplot department, the question of will he or won't he is basically the single source of page-turning propulsion throughout the first half of the book. Readers will need to make it to the homestretch to find out if the boy, who fails to fly on several attempts, ultimately soars or remains earthbound. The premise is ambitious and while Gonzalez makes it work, the story itself perhaps tries to fly a bit too high, lacking the mythological power it seeks to channel. The author keeps things aloft by employing taut, alternating first-person recollections from Ben and his empathetic older brother, Ian. Innocently rendered accounts of their early dating experiences fortunately kick in during the second half of the story, helping to keep the wings flapping by giving the tale just enough allure to sustain interest in the central question. This is a book that seems to improve slightly with each chapter; the dialogue becomes more natural, the characters more palpable. This promising first effort hints that Gonzalez is ready to take off as a fine YA author.
–Jeffrey Hastings, Highlander Way Middle School, Howell, MI Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Gr. 8-11. Brothers Ben and Ian Delaney take turns here talking about Ben's conviction that he will eventually be able to fly; from birth Ben has been sure he will someday sprout wings and take to the skies. As he waits for wings to reveal themselves, he attempts to force the issue by jumping from heights that increase with his age. Ian can only stand by and hope that his brother's appendages will appear in time. In the end, Ian's skepticism is revealed, as is Ben's fate. Although there is some foreshadowing, readers won't be certain of the outcome until they take that final leap with Ben. Short chapters take readers from event to event, moving the action along while gradually revealing more about each character. Ben's fight against gravity and his study of natural history add a nice subtext, and the evolving relationship between the brothers is as absorbing as the wait for wings.
Cindy WelchCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
