Flight

by Elizabeth Stow Ellison

Twelve-year-old Samantha struggles with how to best help her artistic and athletic older brother and her parents--who will not have Evan tested for a learning disability.

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 2008

Reviews

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

For reasons I am unclear, this book, though published in 2008, was set in 1982. I couldn't come up with a reason for this. The book dealt with illiteracy and how it catches up with you. In this case, Samantha's brother Evan, a gifted artist, cannot read. But it isn't something the family discusses. In fact, even the mention of getting Evan tested can start a fight. There were interesting secondary characters but while 3-dimensional, they didn't serve a huge purpose. I would have preferred a most conclusive ending as well. But I suppose real life never has neat endings, why should fiction?

[Catherine Jett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this 3.5 stars. It is very enjoyable, although it ends a bit abruptly. But, deep seated problems like illiteracy do not have easy or quick solutions, so a tidy, happy ending would not have been appropriate either. I would have liked to see mention of the names of some of the learning disabilities that could have been an issue here, and perhaps brief mention of how to address them. Someone reading this book may know someone with similar problems, and there is no real hint of what sort of remediation could be applied. There is also no mention of how long it usually takes an illiterate adult or teen to gain functional reading skills, on average. It would be nice if a character had pointed out that literacy can be achieved by anyone who discovers their correct path to it, if that is the case. For people without literacy issues, it is interesting to learn how others have trouble with the written word, and there is little description of how Evan sees text or why he is unable to make sense of it.
This book is appropriate for late elementary and middle school kids. It gives them a good perspective of the difficulties some of their classmates may be facing, and, hopefully, will facilitate compassion towards them. The book also tells the story of how everyone has different and valuable talents, even when people feel like they are not very smart.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this gentle story that details the devastating effects of illiteracy on a family. Set in 1982, the story could just as easily take place today. Well-drawn characters and strong foreshadowing are strengths of this first novel which is a good choice for thoughtful middle school readers.

Twelve-year-old Samantha adores her brother Evan, a freshman in high school, but she can't understand why her athletic, talented and witty brother can't seem to succeed in school. He scrapes by with barely passing grades, seldom does homework, and is frequently in trouble. When Evan reveals to her his heartbreaking secret - he can't read - she is totally puzzled as to why her parents won't allow him to be tested so his teachers can help him. Many readers will quickly recognize dyslexia from Evan's discription of words that won't be still on the page and "sometimes run right off" the paper. Readers will wonder with Samantha what it will take to pull the rose-colored glasses from her parents eyes and make them admit the truth about Evan's problems and their own.

[Diane Greiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a well-written story set around the difficulties one of the main characters had with reading. The dynamics of the family evolved around this in the fact that it was kept hidden from view. Some interesting twists came along the way that made this story interesting. The only down side I have with this story is what age it is geared to. It appears to be geared to upper elementary to middle grade, but there is mild language added to the story, so be forewarned. I'm not sure why authors feel the need to add this as most of the time it isn't necessary, hence the subtraction of a star in the rating.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a short, simple yet sweet story of a family who goes through hard times, yet these hard times are very different from others. "Flight" written by Elizabeth Ellison hits you right there in the heart and teaches you appreciation, love, and the willingness to work hard. It's the sweet, heartwarming first novel of an aspiring writer. You don't need to relate to any of these characters to appreciate this story. In all honesty, I cried at the end. Props to Ms. Elizabeth Ellison for being such a novel into this world.

[Kirby · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is next on my list. I "met" Elizabeth via a video-conference with her class. Eager to read her book!

Just finished "Flight." Elizabeth tackled some very tough issues with this book -- including learning disabilities and illiteracy. She took a very challenging approach to the story, by telling it through a second person viewpoint. That did make it harder for me to connect with the story. Regardless, I will look forward to reading her next book.

[Shannon Hitchcock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twelve-year-old Samantha discovers that her older brother can't read. She wonders why her parents won't get help for him. Hidden illiteracy is tearing the family apart, and it's up to Samantha to take a stand.