Fourteen-year-old Jett Cooper and his dad Jack are like two peas in a pod, or rather, two pilots in a plane. Jett has spent much of his childhood immersed in all things aviation and spending all his free time (and some of his school time) at his family's flying school in Australia. Like a finely tuned flight plan, Jett has his future all mapped out to become a pilot like his father. Nothing compares to the feeling he gets when he is soaring above the earth and flying with his dad.
Jett also shares a love of flying with his best friend, Ella. They both have plans to attend flight school and have clocked many hours learning to fly. With an upcoming junior competition on the horizon, they are vying for a coveted scholarship for the flying academy. But all of that changes when a terrible accident occurs at the flying school. And suddenly, Jett's mom is not so willing to let her son put his life in danger in a plane.
Jett's mom doesn't realize how much flying is part of his life, and he vows to do whatever it takes to still fly in the junior competition. Readers will quickly be drawn into the exciting life at the flying academy. Will Jett's mom relent and let him compete? How can he face a future without flying? For anyone who aspires to be a pilot, this book offers a realistic view of not only what goes into running a flight school but all the nitty-gritty behind-the-scenes maintenance of airplanes. As Jett faces his own challenges, he realizes that not everyone around him has his best interests in mind. Will his actions lead to another tragedy at the flight school? Trusting the wrong person can be deadly.
Jett Cooper blends a number of themes to perfection: family dynamics and adolescent angst, the importance of being loyal to friends, learning who to trust, and figuring out one's future. All with a dash of mystery and some nail-biting thrills in the skies.
The author includes a very extensive aviation glossary at the back of the book. I loved the two very helpful maps for the Kirri Kirri Air Show as well as the course for the Blue Wolf Junior Air Competition Racecourse. The maps offer a great piece of supplementary learning as readers can practice decoding a map key and locating places on the map that are in the book. Jett Cooper was a fun and fast-paced middle grade book with a satisfying conclusion. I highly recommend it!
Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of Jett Cooper for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.
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