May 20, 2005

"Magnolia" reviewed by Judith Nasse

It’s a jam-packed, adventurous summer for plucky, energetic Magnolia.  She’s not only determined to get her pilot’s license by her seventeenth birthday, but she also organizes her family and friends into saving bears from land developers in the local state park.  To complicate matters she nearly loses her best friend Rainy when Ross, a new boy in town, not only dates Rainy but also declares his feelings for Magnolia.  Magnolia and Ross also compete for who will be the first to get their pilot license. 

Magnolia is a breakthrough Young Adult novel.  It dares to make teenager Magnolia Holden an aviatrix.  While there are many non-fiction books written for young people about renowned aviatrixes, such as Amelia Earhart, Beryl Markham, Bessie ”Queen Bess” Coleman, and Katherine Stinson, there does not seem to be any novels about women pilots, especially for teenagers.

          This is author Sabrina Hofkin’s first novel.  She plans to create a sequel.   The book is well plotted with the interweaving of the sub-plots nicely executed.  The switching of scenes between flying, tracking down the mystery behind the threatened bears and environment, Magnolia’s friendship with Ross and Rainy, and the worry about her mother’s archaeological dig in unstable Colombia could get bogged down, however it flows successfully.

          While I didn’t understand all of the aviation terms and descriptions, there was enough action and tension to carry me through those scenes.  For example, while Magnolia is flying solo, a storm comes up.  By describing Magnolia’s reaction as well as how she technically lands the plane, the reader is kept going, on the edge of her chair.

          This book will entertain young girls, and it will also inspire them to become more than the usual roles ascribed for them.  I highly recommend this book.  

Judith Nasse, reviewer

May 2005