Flying Circus Through Thick and Thin Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway (10 Winners)

Looking for a fun summer read for your budding aviation enthusiast? Check out Flying Circus Through Thick and Thin, the sequel to Leona Cobham's well acclaimed middle grade fiction Flying Circus Takes to the Sky. Get more details about the book and enter to win a copy! Ten are up for grabs!

My Review:

I was given the opportunity to read both books in the Flying Circus Airplane Adventures series and found them to be exciting and informative. With a squad of four different airplanes as the leading characters, each book consists of three independent short stories about the missions they get to accomplish and the daunting challenges they have to confront, from an intercontinental race to fire rescue in the forest. The growth of the characters is evident in book two, as they get involved in more complex and trickier situations. The difficulty level of its vocabulary and the intricacy of its plots make the new book better suited for more advanced readers.

Written with humor and style, both books exhibit the author's passion for aviation and in-depth knowledge of the field. A considerable number of technical terms are employed in the stories. The author takes care to highlight them in bold print and to explain them in the illustrated glossary that concludes each book. The drawings that accompany the text help readers, especially those who are unfamiliar with aircraft, to visualize and understand specific scenarios in the stories. While the stories are fictional, the aviation knowledge they deliver is real and very useful.

The books draw readers in instantly not only through the Flying Circus' captivating and suspenseful adventures, but also through its charming members marked with distinctive characteristics, who complement one another to form a remarkable team. Together, they inspire young readers to take up new challenges, to persevere, to stay positive, to learn from their mistakes and to solve problems creatively. Their stories also demonstrate the power of leadership, friendship and teamwork.

Highly entertaining and educational, the Flying Circus Airplane Adventures series would make a valuable addition to any avid airplane lover's book collection. My sons and I can hardly wait to read book three.

About the Book:

Ages 7+ | 144 Pages
Publisher: Cobham Wings | ISBN-13: 9781739407032

A group of anthropomorphized airplanes encounter extreme weather while training at a mountain base. The Spitfire and the biplane, Woody, discover a suspicious mining operation. Tom, the F-14, accidentally gives their radio frequency to the antagonists at the mine. A snowstorm causes more problems. Tom makes amends by rescuing an F-117 Nighthawk.

The second story is a comic tale of mistaken identity. Spif feels responsible for the smooth running of a historical commemoration, but his plans are hampered by a series of hilarious errors involving statues of Wellington and Napoleon.

In the final story, when the friends are invited to an air show in the height of summer they become impatient with a Chinook who is garnering attention. They take to the sky, and the Tomcat lights his afterburners. When a fire starts, he assumes it was his fault. He overcomes his shame to help with the firefight. Spif must put his pride aside and accept assistance from the popular Chinook. Each aircraft contributes to the effort with its own unique skill set. When they save some scouts who have been camping, it turns out it was the scouts who started the fire. They realize through making mistakes, we learn.

Purchase links: Amazon | Bookshop.org

About the Author:

Leona Cobham was immersed in the world of aviation from a young age; her grandfather, Sir Alan Cobham, made many first-time flights as well as pioneering the invention of air-to-air refueling. Leona absorbed this love of flying and travel. While working in a forest recuperation project in Brazil, Leona volunteered to teach in a shanty town. Here, a lifelong interest in understanding different learning styles began. On return to the UK, she began to write children’s fiction and worked part-time as a classroom reading assistant. Believing happy children learn best, Leona infuses her writing with humor, adventure, and a big feel-good factor. Her endearing characters overcome personal as well as technical challenges to succeed.

For more information, visit: cobhamwings.co.uk

Ten lucky winners will each receive a copy of Flying Circus Through Thick and Thin!

Giveaway ends 7/4. Open to US only. Please enter below. Good luck!

Flying Circus Through Thick and Thin: Book Giveaway

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Leona Cobham. All views and opinions expressed are my own. icefairy's Treasure Chest is not responsible for winner selection or prize fulfillment.