A thrilling historical adventure about the rise of the KKK in Maine by the master of adventure himself, Rodman Philbrick. It combines the page-turning action of Wildfire with the historical depth and impact of Newbery Honor-winning The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg.
It's Maine, 1924, and the Ku Klux Klan is on the rise.
Davy and Jo Michaud have been recently orphaned. Taken in by a distant relative―a famous aviator―they are now working with a group of stunt pilots who spend their time wing walking, leaping from plane to plane, and flying through fireworks! But though the stunts are dangerous, the real threat is building behind the scenes.
The KKK is on the rise in Maine that summer, inspired by the racial fears promoted in Birth of a Nation. They spew hatred of immigrants, Blacks, Jews, and French Catholics―that last, a rage that will be directed at Davy and Jo.
When Davy and Jo cross paths with the Klan, they get tangled up in a terrible revenge plan, and held as hostages. Can they escape with their lives?---from the publisher
208 pages 978-1338736298 Ages 9-12
Keywords: 20th century, flying, historical fiction, racism and prejudice, KKK, aviation, women, women's history, immigrants, 9 year old, 10 year old, 11 year old, 12 year old
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“Oh, you wrapped me up in a leather coat
And you took me for a ride
We were drifting with the tail-wind
When the runway came in sight
The clouds came up to gather us
And the cockpit turned to white
When I looked the sky was empty
I suppose you never saw the landing-lights”
– Al Stewart, “Flying Sorcery” (1976)
“‘Ladies and gentlemen! Kids of all ages! Prepare yourselves! What you are about to see may shock you to the core! You will witness death-defying feats of derring-do! You will see flying machines and race cars and motorcycles whose speed exceeds ONE HUNDRED MILES PER HOUR! You will witness thrilling stunts performed by America’s favorite aviatrix, the first pilot of any gender to fly nonstop between Chicago and New York! The first pilot to fly upside down under the Brooklyn Bridge! Holder of the record for most loop the loops! Ladies and gentlemen, cast your eyes to the east! I give you Ruthie Reynard’s Flying Circus!’
Seemingly out of nowhere, two Curtiss Jenny biplanes zoom up over the edge of the opposite grandstand. They look close enough to reach out and touch. The planes roll and separate and then head straight at me and Jo. Flying machines with great whirring propellers. Propellers that could take off our heads, if the pilots make a mistake.
They aim for us like winged bullets. Coming so fast we couldn’t get out of the way even if we wanted to, packed into the stands as we are. Ruthie grinning beneath her goggles, pulls up at the last possible instant. The wind from the prop knocks me to my knees. I manage to turn around and see both pilots waving merrily at us from their cockpits. I’ve never been so scared, but the funny thing is, I can’t wait to do it again.”
“It wasn’t so long ago that hundreds of Mainers, sometimes thousands, gathered in public halls in Saco, Portland, Hallowell and Rockland to hear polite lectures on the principles of the KKK and the virtues of pro-Protestant ‘Americanism.’
Across the state in the 1920s, Christian crosses were burned in Sanford, Lewiston, Gardiner, Dexter and Stockholm, attracting crowds and inspiring fear amid the economic recession, nativism and isolationism that followed World War I. For several turbulent years, membership in the KKK exploded to an estimated high of 8 million in the United States, including northern and western states such as New Jersey, Michigan, Oregon and California.
By 1923, rapid growth of the KKK in Maine gained national attention, prompting the Boston Herald to publish a six-day front-page series of articles that noted 20,000 Klan robes had been sold here within a year or so. In Portland, prominent residents established a clubhouse on Forest Avenue, where 1,500 Klansmen witnessed the initiation of 400 new members one Saturday in August as about 10,000 curious citizens watched from side streets.
And in 1924, when as many as 40,000 Mainers had joined the KKK, the organization was a driving force in electing Republican Gov. Ralph Brewster on a tide of anti-immigrant, anti-Catholic sentiment.”
– Portland Herald, “Not long ago, the KKK was a driving force in Maine culture and politics” (2/5/2017)
In 1924, Davy and Josephine's immigrant mother dies as the result of prolonged exposure to cotton dust in a Maine textile mill. Their father had previously perished in a mill accident. On the day of their mother’s funeral, the newly-orphaned siblings are unexpectedly rescued by their mother’s childhood best friend, the famous Ruthie Reynard, who is also a distant cousin.
Davy and his big sister Jo have never met Ruthie, but they’ve read the press accounts and know of their mother’s long-ago connection with the pilot. But in her dying days, their mom wrote to Ruthie and requested that she take care of the kids. That’s how Davy and Jo avoid the orphanage and join the Flying Circus.
Both Davy and Jo’s parents and Ruthie's parents were French Canadians who came to America for a better life. There were few Black Americans in Maine to terrorize and persecute in 1924, so the northern KKK attacked Jews and the French, Italian, and Spanish Catholics. Ruthie and her immigrant co-workers are in their sights.
The two siblings have great love and caring for each other, and the death-defying performers and their support crew are like one big loving family. That contrasts with the hate shown by the white supremecist farmers, police, and other townspeople who display ugliness and violence.
WE OWN THE SKY juxtaposes the excitement of the air shows with the terror of those KKK attacks, making this a quick, exciting, and fascinating piece of historical fiction for middle graders. The century-ago setting, and the memorable high jinks will make this one a natural for fans of the late Richard Peck’s A LONG WAY FROM CHICAGO series.
Recommended by: Richie Partington, MLIS, California USA
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