Airborn

Airborn
Oppel, Kenneth. 2004.
Airborn.
New York: EOS HarperCollins.
368 pages, hardcover.
$18.99
ISBN 9780060531805.

Format: book
Rating: 5.0/5.0 stars

Plot Summary
Matt Cruse works on the Aurora, a luxury airship that travels between America and Australia. It is the same airship his dad served and Matt desperately wants to be a sail-maker like his father was; for now, he is just a cabin boy.

Perched in the crow’s nest during a night shift, Matt spots a hot air balloon drifting too close to the Aurora. As they draw closer, Matt sees the balloon’s pilot sprawled on the gondola floor. He volunteers for a daring rescue attempt, and succeed – barely. Later that day, Matt visits the pilot in the infirmary. The old man speaks of beautiful flying creatures, asking if Matt had seen them. When Matt learns that the pilot has died, he resumes his attentions to his duties aboard the ship.

It is only after Matt meets the pilot’s fearless, focused, and adventurous granddaughter, a short while later as a guest on the Aurora, and reads his diary does he begin to wonder more about the creatures. Before long the Aurora is attacked by pirates and is forced to crash-land on a deserted island.

Critical Evaluation
Oppel’s Airborn is a fantastically written creative fantasy, set sail in Victorian-times and perfectly aligned with Charles Darwin’s theories of transmutations of species and evolution. Found on a similar deserted island is no coincidence that Oppel chose to have Matt and Kate’s journey and search for these flying creatures to be set in a similar, and unchartered territory adding even more high adventure and mystery.

Though Matt seems a bit young to be an employee on this type somewhat dangerous vessel and Kate seems young for this type of travel adventure, the writing encourages readers to be pulled and forgo any challenge they might be compelled to make.

Oppel’s concept of airship travels for the rich and famous is a wonderful variation on the actual transport at the time, often luxury ships. Other elements such as the intense descriptive components and areas of the Aurora airship and the settings make this so visually appealing that it would easily convert into great film, as it already reads like a movie.

Reader's Annotation
This is a tale of sky-high adventure of travelling the skies in huge hydrium-filled airships designed for transcontinental travel. Matt, a cabin boy, and Kate, an adventurous and wealthy guest find more than they bargain for as they try to confirm her grandfather's discoveries of huge flying creatures, while battling pirates along the way.

Information About the Author
Kenneth Oppel was born in 1967 in a mill town on Vancouver Island, and lived in many places including Ireland, England, Newfoundland, and Labrador, before settling in Toronto with his family. As a child his family travelled to the Nova Scotia area, and during this travel and summers that Kenneth began to write. With a strong passion for science, architecture, and video games his writing took on many of those elements. A family friend passed along one of his lengthy stories to a friend, Roald Dahl, and thus began Oppel’s writing career.

He is an award-winning Canadian author, who has sold over a million copies of his book, including his notable Silverwing trilogy. Airborn (2004) is aMichael L Printz Honor Book, and Skybreaker (2005) was named Children's Novel of the Year by the London Times, and Starclimber (2009). The series of the adventurous Matt Cruse, the main character in Airborn, has been made into an animated television series for children.

(Oppel, 2011) and (Oppel-wiki, 2011)

Genre
Fiction: Science Fiction – steampunk

Curriculum Ties
Creative ties to history, travel, unique creatures and how scientific discoveries are formalized (and only taken seriously when pursued by men).

Read-Alikes
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
Skybreaker by Kenneth Oppel
Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve

Booktalking Ideas
1) daring rescue scene where Matt rappels down to a hot air balloon and saves its unconscious pilot

2) scene with Kate's chaperone panicked that she was escorted by a young man, without an adult to monitor them

Book Trailer Link
Book trailer from official Airborn site

Reading Level/Interest Age
Gr. 6-10 / 13 and up

Challenge Issues
adventure, mystical creatures, pirates, violence & murder

First, I would share some of the recommendations used as part of the selection process, including reviews from resources as noted below. Next, I would point out the value in allowing these types of materials to be optional reading as teens grow ever closer to adulthood and making their own decisions. Finally, following our school district’s policy #KEC, after explaining that our school district’s philosophy is that no parent or group of parents has the right to determine the reading matter for children other than their own, I would refer the parent or community member to the building principal, so that he/she can file a written complaint to begin the process of review.

Awards
ALA's Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults, 2005
Michael L. Printz Honor Book, 2005
Audies Award Finalist, 2007
Canadian Governor General's Award for Children's Literature, 2004
Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award Nominee, 2007
Texas Lone Star Reading List, 2006-07
Beehive Award - Teen Winner, 2005
Michigan Library Association's Thumbs Up! Award Winner, 2005

Why Title Include & Selection Tools
This is an intense action-packed adventurous tale with great historical and pirate elements that are appealing to many of our YA readers.

School Library Journal, Booklist