Women Who Soar: 30 Books About Boundary-Breaking Female Pilots

Amelia: My First Amelia Earhart (Little People, Big Dreams)

Young Amelia Earhart dreamed of flying like a bird, so as an adult, she decided to learn how to fly a plane! Female pilots were few and far between, but Amelia wanted to prove that women could fly just as well as men. First, she set a female world record by flying at 14,000 feet; then, she flew across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans; and finally, she decided to try flying all around the whole world. This board book from the Little People, BIG DREAMS series, which also includes a board book about Maya Angelou, will inspire and empower the littlest readers.

At the Mountain's Base

At the base of a mountain, under a hickory tree, a cabin holds a Cherokee family... except for one person. She is a pilot, flying for the military far away. Her family at home worries about her, but they draw strength from their traditions. The pilot does the same, praying for peace that will let her go home to the cabin at the mountain's base where her family will welcome her with open arms. Inspired by Native American service members like WWII pilot Ola Mildred "Millie" Rexroat — and with an author's note that reminds readers that Native women have served in the U.S. Armed Forces "at proportionately higher rates than all other Active Duty, Reserve, and National Guard Servicemembers," this is a tribute to how the bonds of family can sustain us through almost any trial.

Brave Harriet

The First Woman to Fly the English Channel

In 1912, airplanes were rickety, unreliable things, and flying further than a few miles over water was considered ridiculously dangerous. And yet, Harriet Quimby knew she wanted to become the first woman to fly solo across the English Channel. Even over such a seemingly short distance, the risks were high: if she veered off course even five miles, she would fly out over the ocean and run out of fuel far from shore. Her flight was a success, but another news story — the sinking of the Titanic — overshadowed her accomplishment... at least for others. For Quimby herself, it was a dream come true. This celebration of a little-known moment in aviation history will make kids consider how famous Harriet Quimby should have been.

Aim for the Skies

Jerrie Mock and Joan Merriam Smith's Race to Complete Amelia Earhart's Quest

Growing up, both Geraldine (Jerrie) Mock and Joan Merriam decided they wanted to be pilots, and both of them were inspired by trailblazing pilot Amelia Earhart. In the 1960s, both women decided, independently, that they wanted to follow Earhart's planned route and circle the world — and they even planned their starts for the same day. When the news broke, there was only one option to the media and public transfixed by their story: turn their flights into a race. Mock would end up winning, but both women would end up fulfilling the dream of a lifetime! This picture book about the 1964 race between Mock and Merriam will introduce young readers to two little known but important figures in aviation history.

The Fearless Flights of Hazel Ying Lee

Hazel Ying Lee was one of eight siblings — but everyone agreed that she was the fearless one! And when she took her first ride in an airplane at the age of 19, she knew she wanted to be a pilot. But in a time when women didn't fly — and when Chinese Americans were required to carry identification at all times — being a pilot seemed out of reach; plus, her mother thought it wouldn't be ladylike. Lee disagreed, and when the Women Airforce Service Pilots were established during World War II, she finally got the chance to achieve her dream. This picture book biography of the first Chinese American woman to fly for the US military is a celebration of passion and a tribute to a groundbreaking woman who refused to take no for an answer.

Love Is in the Air: The Story of Aviation Pioneer Nancy Harkness Love

When she was 16 years old, Nancy Harkness took a ride with a barnstormer pilot... and fell in love with flight. She knew she wanted to fly again, and as the pilot, not a passenger, but women weren't encouraged to pursue careers in aviation. She earned her pilot's license while she was in college, and when she moved to Boston looking for work, a man named Bob Love hired her to demonstrate planes to his customers. Before long, Nancy and Bob were married, and Nancy Harkness Love had reached her dream! Love would go on to become the first female pilot to serve in the Army Air Forces and founder of the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS) during World War II. This colorful picture book is a celebration of a pioneer for women in aviation who helped a generation of women take to the skies.

Fly High! The Story Of Bessie Coleman

Bessie Coleman knew she wanted to "find a bigger life" — one where her future didn't involve picking cotton and struggling to get by. When she grew up, she moved to Chicago and heard tales of the first World War from veterans... including stories of women pilots in France. So when no one in America would teach her how to fly, she saved every penny she could and traveled there, where she became the first African American to earn a pilot's license. Coleman would return to America and become a famous stunt pilot, and everywhere she went, she would remind kids, "You can fly high just like me." This evocative picture book biography captures the determination and drive of this aviation pioneer. For another book about Coleman, check out Talkin' About Bessie: The Story of Aviator Bessie Coleman for ages 7 to 10.

Wood, Wire, Wings: Emma Lilian Todd Invents an Airplane

Emma Lilian Todd loved tinkering — even as a child, she took apart clocks and reassembled them to figure out how they worked. As an adult, she worked at the Patent Office, typing up patents for other inventors... and imagining how she would improve them. In the early 1900s, most people didn't think women could be inventors, but Lilian was determined to prove them wrong — by designing he very own airplane! This riveting picture book biography brings to life a nearly-forgotten engineer whose visionary thinking and determination helped her groundbreaking invention take flight.

Lighter Than Air: Sophie Blanchard, the First Woman Pilot

In 1700s France, "balloonomania" was everywhere! Everyone was fascinated by the great hot air balloons that could achieve previously unheard heights... but all of the first aeronauts were men. Sophie Blanchard was a shy girl from a seaside village, but she became captivated by the dream of flight. Blanchard went on to become the first woman to pilot her own aircraft and became such a leader in the field that she was even named Chief Air Minister of Ballooning by Napoleon himself! Author Matthew Clark Smith celebrates Blanchard's courage and determination to follow her heart, up into the air in a beautiful balloon.

Lady Icarus: Balloonmania and the Brief, Bold Life of Sophie Blanchard

As a child growing up in the late 1700s in France, Sophie Blanchard was a timid girl from a lower-class family — who had no idea she'd become a national sensation! When "Balloonmania" — a fascination with aeronauts who flew balloons to greater and greater heights — struck Europe, Blanchard decided she wanted to learn to fly, and her pilot husband supported her. She defied the sexist idea that women couldn't be pilots, discovered the joy of solo flying, and found fame as the first woman to work as a professional aeronaut in France. She even won the favor of Napoleon, who titled her "Aeronaut of the Official Festivals." Even after she died in a tragic and fiery final flight, she stood as an example that women deserved to soar. This vibrant scrapbook-style biography is a compelling portrait of a legend of early aviation.

Amelia Lost

The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart

Middle grade readers get a thrilling and in-depth introduction to the pioneering flyer Amelia Earhart in this detailed biography! In alternating chapters, author Candace Fleming both describes Earhart's life and the search for her and her plane after her fateful disappearance. The book includes detailed photos and maps, as well as reproductions of handwritten notes from Earhart herself, and also provides sidebars on everything from the history of human flight to Earhart's quirks — like her tendency to eat tomato soup while in the cockpit. It's a unique and absorbing telling of Earhart's life and the ongoing mystery of her disappearance.

Born to Fly: The First Women's Air Race Across America

In the early years of aviation, people scoffed at women who wanted to fly — such a pursuit was too uncouth, too difficult, and too dangerous for them. A group of daring women were determined to prove them wrong! In 1929, pioneering women aviators like Amelia Earhart, Louise Thaden, Marvel Crosson, and Elinor Smith banded together for an Air Derby, a race across the U.S. for women flyers. In this taut and suspenseful narrative telling, National Book Award finalist Steve Sheinkin follows these women as they fight the perils of their sport, discrimination from media and the general public, and more to prove that women belong in the air.

Fly Girls Young Readers Edition

How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History

Young aviation fans will love this young readers' edition of the best selling book Fly Girls! In the 1920s and '30s, airplane racing was one of the most popular sports in the country — but women weren't invited, and when they stepped up to say they wanted to fly, they were mocked and ridiculed. But five women — Florence Klingensmith, Ruth Elder, Amelia Earhart, Ruth Nichols, and Louise Thaden — dared to prove that women belonged in the sky. This thrilling story about how these very different women worked together to fight for the right to race against male pilots will delight middle grade readers.

Fly Girls: The Daring American Women Pilots Who Helped Win WWII

When the US Army Airforce faced a shortage of pilots in the middle of World War II, they called upon a determined group of women to help. The 1,100 women of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) were trained like military pilots, marching in review and wearing uniforms. They took on grunt work like testing repaired planes and ferrying planes from factories to bases, and even towing targets for live ammunition training. A number died in the line of duty, but because they were "only" civilians, they received no military benefits, not even for burials. In this inspiring book, author Patricia Pearson creates a lively account of the daring women whose love of flying and desire to serve their country drove them to soar and challenge the sexist attitudes of their time.

Among the Red Stars

Valka is determined to help the World War II effort in her home country of Russia, and she knows that her piloting skills are up to the challenge. So when an all-female aviation unit is created, she's quick to sign up. As Valka faces the realities of combat, though, she starts to see how much the war is destroying — including its effects on her childhood friend, who is fighting for his life on the front lines. Valka will decide how much she's willing to risk for the country she once called home. Based on the history of the Soviet Night Witch women pilots, this thrilling historical novel is a true page-turner. For another novel about these daring women, check out Night Witches: A Novel of World War II — or, for a non-fiction look at their story, see A Thousand Sisters: The Heroic Airwomen of the Soviet Union in World War II.

Seized by the Sun

The Life and Disappearance of World War II Pilot Gertrude Tompkins

Gertrude “Tommy” Tompkins joined the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) to overcome her grief over the death of the love of her life; learning to fly freed her from that and from the stutter that had plagued her throughout her life. But after lifting off for a mission on October 26, 1944, the 32-year-old pilot disappeared; she remains the only WASP still missing and what happened to her remains a mystery. In this fascinating book from the Women of Action series, author James Ure draws on years of research to create a complex portrait of this daring woman and her tragic end.

A WASP Among Eagles: A Woman Military Test Pilot in World War II

During World War II, a daring group of women pilots knows as the Women Airforce Service Pilots or WASP got the chance to prove they deserved to get the chance to fly professionally. Ann Baumgartner was one of them, and in March 1944, she got a rare opportunity: she would become the only woman to test-fly experimental planes during the war. In this exciting memoir, she describes her experience of learning to fly when women in the air were disdained; joining the WASP; and historic firsts, from in-air refueling to flying a jet. Full of epic highs, exciting flights, and daring feats, this is a tribute to one woman who helped prove women belonged in the sky.

Fly Girls: How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History

In the 1930s, everyone loved air racing, and male pilots were considered daring and courageous heroes — but female pilots were the subject of ridicule; why would people more suited to a home and kitchen even try to take the controls of such a dangerous machine? In this book, Keith O'Brien tells the stories of five women who dared to challenge the entrenched prejudice and prove that women had what it took to fly. Florence Klingensmith, Ruth Elder, Amelia Earhart, Ruth Nichols, and Louise Thaden came from drastically different backgrounds, but they all had a dream of flight... and one of them would prove that a woman could do more than just fly: she could win the toughest race of them all.

The Women with Silver Wings

The Inspiring True Story of the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II

In the midst of World War II, a little over 1,100 women made their way through the U.S. Army's selection process — and became part of a landmark in aviation history. The Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASP, program drew female pilots from across the country, eager to prove their mettle. Led by trailblazing pilots Nancy Love and Jacqueline Cochran, these women were never authorized to serve in combat, but they performed other critical (and dangerous) missions, from delivering planes to training male pilots. And then, just as quickly, the program was disbanded, leaving the women fighting for recognition for their military service. Author Katherine Sharp Landdeck's soaring account of the WASP program is a fitting tribute to these bold women, their dedication to their country, and their determination to make their place in history.

Fighting For Space

Two Pilots and Their Historic Battle for Female Spaceflight

As the space age dawned, two bold female pilots wrestled with how best to push forward the idea of women in the space program. Jackie Cochran held fistfuls of flying records and had led the Women's Auxiliary Service Pilots during World War II. Jerrie Cobb, 25 years Cochran's junior, took the same medical tests as the Mercury astronauts but was ultimately rejected along with the other women of the Mercury 13 program. Each woman had plans for women in space — plans that didn't necessarily agree. In this exciting dual biography, spaceflight historian Amy Shira Teitel explores the lives of two daring women, each of whom dreamed of being the first woman in space.