The Last Hawk

by Elizabeth Wein

Overview

Pilot. Patriot. Spy?

Nazi Germany is a dangerous place for a girl with a stutter, but when Ingrid Hartman soars through the skies in her beloved glider planes, she feels safe and free.
 

It’s like a dream come true when her hero, daring test pilot Hanna Reitsch, invites Ingrid on a propaganda tour. But through her work with Hanna, Ingrid learns some dangerous truths about the Nazi regime and a shocking secret mission that could change the course of the war.
 

When everything is at stake, Ingrid must decide where her loyalties lie.

Union Square & Co.’s EVERYONE CAN BE A READER books are expertly written, thoughtfully designed with dyslexia-friendly fonts and paper tones, and carefully formatted to meet readers where they are with engaging stories that encourage reading success across a wide range of age and interest levels.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781454962731
Publisher:	Union Square & Co.
Publication date:	09/16/2025
Series:	Everyone Can Be a Reader Series
Edition description:	High readability
Pages:	136
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.60(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

Elizabeth Wein was born in New York and grew up in England, Jamaica, and Pennsylvania. She holds American and British citizenship and has lived in Perth, Scotland, since 2000, where she earned her private pilot's license. Flight inspires her fiction, including the #1 New York Times bestseller Code Name Verity.

Editorial Reviews

Nastia’s fierce loyalty to her country and commitment to her work shine through, supporting the engrossing and fast-moving plot with depth of characterization.
An action-packed exploration of courage and loyalty.” – Kirkus Reviews (Firebird)
 
Of THE LAST HAWK they say: “Full of courage, heart, and perceptiveness.” – Kirkus Reviews (The Last Hawk)

"This piece of the War Birds Cycle will appeal to readers interested in aviation,
World War II, and female empowerment."
– Booklist (The Last Hawk)
 
“This slim, gripping, and tightly woven novel effectively introduces characters who are full of heart and resilience. Strongly paced and emotionally resonant.” – Kirkus Reviews (White Eagles)
 —Praise for THE WAR BIRDS Cycle

From the Publisher

2025-07-03
In 1944, a young German pilot makes a series of hard decisions for the sake of her safety and her conscience.

Seventeen-year-old Ingrid Hartman, who speaks with a stutter, tries to avoid being noticed, especially by local Nazi officials. Ingrid’s late mother was a nurse at the Ulmenhain Youth Hospital, where children with learning disabilities were sterilized and neglected; some of them died. The survivors were eventually taken away, along with other disabled children in the community, supposedly to be cared for. Ingrid’s father fears for her safety in a society where disabled people are called “a disgrace to Germany.” With her cousin’s help, Ingrid becomes a safety pilot at a flight school, hoping to prove her usefulness to her country. Ingrid’s hero, test pilot Hanna Reitsch, recruits her for “a propaganda tour,” performing demonstrations to recruit young men for secret missions that Ingrid suspects are death sentences. While many people unquestioningly support their country’s cause, Ingrid’s childhood friend Emil Bruck shares information from a Swedish leaflet about the labor and concentration camps. He urges Ingrid to get out, and she faces a difficult, life-threatening decision. Ingrid is a sympathetic character who’s observant and astute; Wein portrays her as courageous and decisive, particularly in critical moments. The accessible text, which will sustain the interest of reluctant readers, is printed in a dyslexia-friendly font.

Full of courage, heart, and perceptiveness. (author’s note)(Historical fiction. 13-18)

Kirkus Reviews