Review : The Girl who Could Fly

The Girl who Could Fly by Victoria Forester
Pages : 328
Genre : YA-Children, Fantasy
Stand Alone
My Rating :

What it’s about, in my words :

There’s a good reason why Piper has been home-schooled for all of her life : her parents don’t want anyone in conventional Lowland County to discover that their daughter has a special ability to fly. When Piper’s secret unfortunately comes out, she is swept away by the government and sent to a special school for kids who, like her, are gifted with an exceptional talent.

At first, Piper is ecstatic with the fantastic food and the proximity of other children, but her curiosity quickly leads her to ask more and more questions. After all, it seems that her secret school might be the most dangerous place for her to be…

The Girl who Could Fly is a deliciously written fantasy tale with an adorable protagonist. From the first words, I was hooked by Forester’s narration, sweet and tinted with humor :

Piper decided to jump off the roof. It wasn’t a rash decision on her part. This was her plan – climb to the top of the roof, pick up speed by running from one end all the way to the other. Jump off.

Finally, and most importantly, don’ t fall.

She didn’t make plans in the event that she did fall, because if you jump off of the roof of your house and land on your head, you really don’t need any plans from that point on. Even Piper knew that. (p. 1)

Or again :

For one blissful moment she hung in the air, like an angel.

Then, just as quickly, the moment passed and that same young girl fell headfirst, like a freight train, toward the ground below.

The cows had never seen a human do such a thing before and they watched in moo-less astonishment. Not much ever changed on the farm and even cows can do with a bit of excitement. (p. 15-16)

Don’t get the impression that the book is all sugar and fun though; once Piper discovers that her new school isn’t as nice as she first thought, the story takes a darker turn. The truth is hard and cold and the writing changes a little for the occasion. The twist is interesting, although quite predictable, but I liked what the author did with it.

Piper is such an adorable character, all I wanted to do was to cuddle her! The cast of gifted students surrounding her is entertaining, and I wished we could have had the chance to know them more. At 328 pages, the book isn’t long, specially when you consider how big the font is. Because of that, I felt at times the story rushed over the details. It could easily have been a little longer or done in two books. That being said, it was still a great stand alone story, refreshing and light. This is a story I would happily re-read or imagine sharing later with my future-kids.

A few notes before I conclude : as you can see, I wasn’t sure where to categorize this book. It’s younger than YA and older than children’s. Is that middle grade? I’m really not sure. I’d say somewhere in the 9-12 category, but still enjoyable for grown-ups like me. I would completely have embraced the magic of the story when I was 10, and absolutely loved it as an adult, too!

Also, how pretty is that cover? I love, love, love it, and love it even more for how well it corresponds to the story. Not only to the story, but to a specific scene of it! It’s fun to have a cover that has an actual link to what you’ll be reading.