Coast to Coast - Softcover

Byars, Betsy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0440409268 ISBN 13: 9780440409267

Publisher: Yearling, 1994

Synopsis

Thirteen-year-old Birch's grandfather has always  wanted to fly across the U.S. in his antique Piper  Cub. When her grandmother dies and her grandfather  decides to sell the plane, Birch discovers that  it's not so hard to convince Pop to take off on a  short trip. How hard can it be to talk him into  making the big one and taking her with him?

About this title

About the Author

Betsy Byars, a native of Charlotte, North Carolina, received a degree in English from Queens College there. Currently, she lives in Clemson, SC with her husband, a college professor. They have four grown children--one son and three daughters--and five grandchildren. "My own hobbies," Byars says, "are rather quiet. I like to read and do needlework, and I love animals. But my husband has some very interesting hobbies, and through him, I've learned to fly and earned my pilot's license. Together, we fly all over the United States. Since our children are all grown now, we also travel a great deal in Europe, but we take commercial flights because our plane is not really equipped to make transatlantic flights."

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-- Birch, 13, makes the journey of a lifetime when she and her crusty, widowed grandfather fly from South Carolina to California in his beloved Piper Cub, its last trip before he sells the airplane and moves to a retirement home. The story's premise is a bit thin: Birch and her grandfather make a hasty escape from her mother (his daughter), who is left cleaning out his house before it is sold. The dual story of Birch's discovery that her twin had died at birth is also strained, as readers are sure to wonder why it's such a big secret, and why her parents were so reluctant to tell her. Birch's breathless narration is perfect for her melodramatic personality, but the dialogue often reads like a forced flow of information about flying. In spite of its imperfections, however, the book does capture the excitement of the adventure and the vivid personalities of the old man and his granddaughter. While not one of Byars's best efforts, once airborn, the story does take off and her fine characterization shines through. --Trev Jones, School Library Journal
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Yearling
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0440409268
• ISBN 13: 9780440409267
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176