Chuck Yeager Goes Supersonic: An Action-Packed, True Flying Adventure

by Alan Biermann

Overview

Young readers will love the legend of the great American aviator, Chuck Yeager, who grew up from humble beginnings to become the first person to fly a plane faster than the speed of sound. This beautifully illustrated book shows scenes of Chuck as a boy in rural West Virginia, describes his wild flights as a test pilot in the U. S. Air Force, and recounts the terrifying bumping and rattling flights as he neared the "sound barrier." The book presents a chapter on what the sound barrier is and why it is so dangerous. The reader can experience, with Chuck, the beautiful moment of success as his rocket plane breaks through to supersonic speeds. Young people will remember always this heroic story and the legendary pilot who took the world of aviation into a new era.

From Kirkus Reviews: "Engages young readers' imaginations, respects their intelligence and takes them along on an exciting, real-life adventure . . . An excellent work of children's nonfiction that just may inspire the next Chuck Yeager."

From Clarion Reviews: "Beautiful and vivid . . . a portrait of a very human Yeager, a man who was not only passionate and immensely knowledgeable about flying but also an individual who worked hard and overcame significant obstacles to reach his goal."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781480276321
Publisher:	CreateSpace Publishing
Publication date:	12/28/2012
Pages:	50
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.13(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

With a father in the airplane propeller business, Alan Biermann spent a lot of time around airplanes in his early years. During high school and college, he worked in the factory each summer assembling propellers for single and twin engine aircraft. Later he became a sailplane pilot and flew many flights over the Mojave Desert near where Captain Yeager had broken the sound barrier. Then he spent his career as a professor of computer science, mostly at Duke University, and wrote a textbook that has been used widely throughout the United States and abroad. When his children, especially his son, reached the early-reader stage, they very badly wanted to read real stories about real heroes and few if any could be found at their reading level. He wrote this book to give modern-day early readers a story that his own children would have loved if they had been given the chance.
Alan lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina with his wife, Alice Gordon. They enjoy very much their two granddaughters, Isabel and Sophia, and their parents who live nearby.

Editorial Reviews

This straightforward biography engages young readers' imaginations, respects their intelligence and takes them along on an exciting, real-life adventure. From Chuck Yeager's childhood in the Depression, through his experience in World War II, flight school and finally his chance to pilot the first supersonic flight, this debut children's book brings his biography to life and includes a science lesson for eager young minds, as well. Biermann expertly weaves vignettes from Yeager's life--like the time he plowed a test plane through a chicken coop--into the narrative, creating a tale with a cinematic, easy-to-follow rhythm. These anecdotes illustrate Yeager's character in a natural, show-don't-tell fashion. Biermann's explanation of the science behind sound waves, the sound barrier and supersonic flight is so clear and memorable, it's sure to stick with readers well into their adulthood. (Some adults who read this to kids will be relieved to have this burden lifted from them, so they don't have to sputter out shaky explanations themselves.) While this story may inspire a lifelong interest in science, it's unlikely to inspire a lifelong love of poetic language. From the very first paragraph--"Chuck Yeager loved to fly airplanes. He loved to fly high. He loved to fly fast."--the language is a bit unadorned. But it is crystal clear, precise and geared with almost mathematical accuracy to a young elementary reading level. Science- and adventure-minded readers who are just here for the sonic boom won't care that the book reads more like a technical manual than poetry. The illustrations are of a piece with the language: precise down to the buttons and badges on Yeager's flight suit but flat and stylized, reminiscent of old-school film strips. And, like the language, while the illustrations are not inspiring or beautiful, they are perfectly suited to the book's likely audience, who will probably be scrutinizing the cockpit controls. An excellent work of children's nonfiction that just may inspire the next Chuck Yeager.

Kirkus Reviews