Female Flying Fighters

Who doesn't love reading about tough women doing amazing things that no one thinks they can? Over the past week or two I've been reading Sparrow Squadron an amazing new YA historical fiction by D.L. Jung. 

The novel is set in Russia in 1941. Sparrow Squadron focuses on Aelya Makarova, 16-year-old flying prodigy. She was born to fly and has been training for most her life to fly planes. When the Soviet Air Force starts recruiting women, Aelya is overcome with a desire to make a difference in the war and protect her homeland. She does everything she can to become a fighter pilot.

She is faced with Nazis, petty rivalries within her own female unit, and male pilots who don't think that women can fly and handle the difficulties of war. Aelya is faced with many challenges that she didn't expect from war. Ultimately, she must think about what she is willing to sacrifice for her country.

I was really intrigued by this novel, mostly because I've read a lot of WWII novels but none that focuses on the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union in general isn't something that I'm very familiar with and so I thought this would be a good opportunity to experience something new!

I'll admit that some parts were a little slow. But of course, this parallels actual war. It isn't all about constant battles and winning. Sometimes you are sitting around waiting for the action. Other times the book is just about the minor relationships between the characters and how they are handling the war.

I was anticipating that the novel would contain some things that I didn't understand since the novel is set in Soviet Russia and I don't know much about WWII involving Russia. However, there was a little more that I didn't know than expected. I didn't realize until I finished the book that there was a glossary in the back that defined a lot of Russia terms and other things that I had to look up on my own.

Even though this book is billed as a YA novel, I would say that it might be more for high school than the junior high kids I teach just because sometimes Aelya's view on life and the war is a little morbid. It's a difficult thing to hear about so much death among young people.

Overall, I felt like this was a really interesting read that did teach me a lot of things that I didn't previously know about WWII and the Russians. I liked that it centered on a young girl who was capable of doing such awesome things! It is loosely based on the true story of a female unit of fighter pilots and true stories make the best kind of fiction.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves reading YA, historical fiction, WWII, and adventurous women! You can purchase your own copy here.