Born to Fly by Michael J. Ferrari

It's 1941 and Bird McGill is enthralled by planes. She wants to be a fighter pilot, but cannot. On December 7, 1941, Bird and her dad take a quick spin in a neighbor's plane before Bird's birthday party, which no-one attends. 2 months later she, and her family are standing on a train station platform, saying goodbye to their dad as he goes off to war. As he steppes onto the train, he hands Bird something she's always wanted: A P-40 Warhawk plane manual.
Soon, she's taking to the skies with Lt. Peppel, setting up dates for her sister (with Lt. Peppel), trying to catch a sub, and a murderer, terrorist, and a spy. She meets Kenji, a Jap, as he's called and his uncle. Uncle Tomo is charged with the murder of a local man and blowing up a plane factory. He denies this adamently. Bird is waiting for her father to return in a few days to tell the truth about the real man who did it, when Lt. Peppel shows up at her house, with that envelope. That one no-one ever wants to see. Bird is caught on the witness stand, stuck. she can't trust the people in her town. One flicks a lighter, another pass a threat note and smiles. In Geneseo, RI, something is afoot.

5 Stars
Ima