Sadie the Airmail Pilot

Without a doubt, this is one of the most engaging books we've come across. Sadie the Airmail Pilot, by Kellie Strom, is a thrilling adventure that has Sadie departing from a fantastical, futuristic city and flying through wondrous landscapes to reach to an isolated weather station high atop a mountain on a craggy ledge to deliver the mail. The illustrations are splendid and full of imaginative detail, and while futuristic, they also hearken back to those wildly improbable "imagine the future" images that appeared in newspapers and books at the beginning of the 20th century, with trolley tracks hovering 20 stories above the street, giant dirigibles, and the like. There's also an abundance of flora and fauna covering the topography that Sadie flies through. She runs into trouble on her journey through the snowy mountains, and the thrilling rescue and triumphant return to home base round out the story. Our little boy was absolutely glued to this story, but it's also a great book for little girls who can benefit from the knowledge that girls can do anything too!