The Girl Who Could Fly
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The Girl Who Could Fly
Piper McCloud can fly. Just like that. Easy as pie. Problem is, the good folk of Lowland County are afraid of Piper. And her ma's at her wits' end. So it seems only fitting that she leave her parents' farm to attend a top-secret, maximum-security school for kids with exceptional abilities, whose skills range from super-strength to super-genius. But Piper is special, even a...more
Paperback, 336 pages
Published
by MacMillan Children's Books
(first published June 24th 2008)
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Lucy
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
fans of Savvy, The Mysterious Benedict Society
The McClouds have always done things the same way. They've farmed the same land, lived in the same town, and lived the same simple life for generations. But Piper McCloud is different. From the moment she was born, Piper could float, and when she got a little older, Piper taught herself how to fly.
When Piper accidentally reveals her talent at the town's Fourth of July picnic, she causes an uproar, and draws a lot of attention--including the attention of Dr. Letitia Hellion, who ru...more
When Piper accidentally reveals her talent at the town's Fourth of July picnic, she causes an uproar, and draws a lot of attention--including the attention of Dr. Letitia Hellion, who ru...more
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Forester, Victoria. 2008. The Girl Who Could Fly.
Piper decided to jump off of the roof. It wasn't a rash decision on her part.
The Girl Who Could Fly is an odd little book that I couldn't help enjoying. Piper McCloud, she flies. A girl who flies. When her flying catches attention, mysterious strangers show up on the family farm promising her family that they've got the perfect school for her. A school where her specialness will be appreciated. So away Piper goes. Leaving b...more
Piper decided to jump off of the roof. It wasn't a rash decision on her part.
The Girl Who Could Fly is an odd little book that I couldn't help enjoying. Piper McCloud, she flies. A girl who flies. When her flying catches attention, mysterious strangers show up on the family farm promising her family that they've got the perfect school for her. A school where her specialness will be appreciated. So away Piper goes. Leaving b...more
Joy Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
all y'all
Recommended to Joy Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ by:
Stephenie Meyer
Shelves:
young-adult,
children
This book was recommended by one of my favorite authors, Stephenie Meyer. On her site she states, The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester "is the oddest/sweetest mix of Little House on the Prairie and X-Men."
The librarian likes to talk with me about the books I read and where I get my suggestions. So, when I picked up the book today - (TODAY, I read this book in a day!), I gave her Stephenie's take about it being a cross between Little House on the Prairie and the X-Men. Jus...more
The librarian likes to talk with me about the books I read and where I get my suggestions. So, when I picked up the book today - (TODAY, I read this book in a day!), I gave her Stephenie's take about it being a cross between Little House on the Prairie and the X-Men. Jus...more
This book is utterly fabulous. While charmed from the beginning, I was simultaneously wary that it might be hodge podge of ripped off ideas from Anne of Green Gables, Harry Potter & X-Men. Thankfully, this book ended up creating a world of characters and places firmly its own. I love this book, and recommend it to anyone.
Libby
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Libby by:
Mirjam Kirkham
Shelves:
children-s-fiction,
fantasy
Well-written with interesting and complex characters, this book was better than its summary led me to believe. Piper McCloud is a sheltered farm girl who discovers she can fly. When she reveals this to her close-minded community, the expected fear of anything different surfaces and forces Piper into a special school with other 'gifted' children.
While presenting the age old conflict of individuality vs. conformity, this book provides complex characters and unexpected twists of plot....more
While presenting the age old conflict of individuality vs. conformity, this book provides complex characters and unexpected twists of plot....more
Piper's father and mother are simple folk, a farm family in a small community. So when they find baby Piper floating, they realize this child is special and they shelter her from the curious. Piper eventually realizes she has the gift of flight, but she doesn't realize how dangerous that gift is until she uses it to catch a baseball at a picnic and finds an army of reporters surrounding the house the next day. When Dr. Hellion, a beautiful, kind woman, arrives and promises to take Piper away ...more
Piper McCloud can fly, and when the neighbors find out, a super-secret organization comes and takes her away to live with other kids (and plants and animals) with special talents. At first we are led to believe this organization (I.N.S.A.N.E.) wants to help them, but the true motives are much more sinister.
I liked this book, but I have a hard time pinning down the audience. I would say 3rd-5th grade, but there is a scene where Piper is tortured for her misbehavior and it seemed too...more
I liked this book, but I have a hard time pinning down the audience. I would say 3rd-5th grade, but there is a scene where Piper is tortured for her misbehavior and it seemed too...more
I was forced to end my reading strike (for the rest of May) when I picked this book up and innocently read the first couple of pages. While parts of the book are awkwardly written, I couldn't help but fall in love with the main character and kept reading just to make sure she ended up okay. The story was captivating and the message was good. This was a great quick read.
El Templo de las Mil Puertas
added it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
15-eltemplo,
criticas-literarias
"Nadie se explica el por qué. Ni sus padres, temerosos de que el Señor les haya enviado un mensaje desde el cielo, ni los vecinos, cotillas e incrédulos, ni ninguno de los animales que vive en la granja, pero Piper McCloud puede volar. No utilizando aviones ni subiéndose a globos aerostáticos como el resto de los mortales, sino por sí misma. Sólo necesita concentrarse, dejar la mente en blanco y… ¡voila! Al momento siguiente se encuentra disfrutando de una espléndida vista aérea y de la com...more
I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I basically like the main character, Piper, and I also like the initial setting of a farm--which makes this book rural fantasy, the new subgenre I've been telling people about (Ingrid Law's Savvy is the best-known example). On the other hand, the later chapters are a little bumpy. Piper McCloud can fly, so her anxious, tradition-bound parents spend the early years of her life trying to hide her gift. Eventually the neighbors find out, and s...more
Weird, isn’t it, how certain themes will pop in several different books all of a sudden? In The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester (Feiwel and Friends, 2008), young Piper McCloud has a special gift – she can fly (making her name quite apt). This gift – and the fact that other kids around the world are born with other unique gifts – and Piper’s down-home folksiness reminded me quite a bit of Ingrid Law’s Savvy, with those unique Talents that a certain family inherits at age 13. And then t...more
I would probably give this 2.5 stars.
But let me start out this review by saying this book is not for children.
It's just not. There are numerous conflicts in the book that require a more mature grasp of reality. Torture, abuse, imprisonment, lobotomy, religion, death, drugs, and lies. Not to mention that there were certain sexual innuendos as well as moderate curse words. All of it was heavily present, and the final result was a book whose audience has been incorrectly marketed...more
But let me start out this review by saying this book is not for children.
It's just not. There are numerous conflicts in the book that require a more mature grasp of reality. Torture, abuse, imprisonment, lobotomy, religion, death, drugs, and lies. Not to mention that there were certain sexual innuendos as well as moderate curse words. All of it was heavily present, and the final result was a book whose audience has been incorrectly marketed...more
Bercerita tentang Piper McCloud, seorang anak perempuan dari Lowland Country yang memiliki kemampuan untuk terbang. Suatu hari, dia ditemukan oleh agen dari INSANE (Institute of Normalcy, Stability and Non-Exceptionality) dan dimasukkan ke institut itu. At the beginning, she is enjoying making friends with other kids that are also special, learning and overall..adapting. Konfliknya muncul saat ternyata INSANE tidak seperti yang terlihat, institut itu ternyata dikelola untuk tujuan............sam...more
After reading The Girl with the Silver Eyes I was a bit hesitant to pick up another middle grade book. But after carefully deciding what to read in the month November, I couldn’t resist this fabulous cover and picked it up right away. I’m glad I did, because it was a fantastic middle grade read.
Piper McCloud (Don’t you just love that name?) is such a cute little girl. She’s so adorable and loves flying. Yes, flying. All of the other characters were great too, especially the villain....more
Piper McCloud (Don’t you just love that name?) is such a cute little girl. She’s so adorable and loves flying. Yes, flying. All of the other characters were great too, especially the villain....more
The Girl Who Could Fly is a farm girl named Piper McCloud. She thinks her ability is as natural as breathing. Living in a farm away from technology and all sophistication , Piper's exploits are commonsensical and innocent but would have been downright idiotic and ignorant if applied to a kid with proper education in the city. Piper is artless on how her talent could shake the world, and separate her from her family. But she meets other special children, gains their support, and triumphs over ...more
http://librarytalker.blogspot.com/2011/0...
Piper's parents come from a long line of practical people. If it always worked before, why change it?
When Piper was born, she was already an impractical baby. Her parents had long since given up on having children before she was conceived, so her birth was a bit abnormal and caused a lot of talk around town.
Shortly after she was born, she began to float. She was bumping the ceiling before she crawled on the floor. She ...more
Piper's parents come from a long line of practical people. If it always worked before, why change it?
When Piper was born, she was already an impractical baby. Her parents had long since given up on having children before she was conceived, so her birth was a bit abnormal and caused a lot of talk around town.
Shortly after she was born, she began to float. She was bumping the ceiling before she crawled on the floor. She ...more
This book is a very heartwarming, quirky tale. You'll laugh , gasp, and, I'll admit, sometimes cry.
I am constantly re-reading this and recommending it.
Piper McClould can fly. She can see the good in almost everything, and is always talking and asking questions. Her mother Bettty is a nononsense person, and very religious too. Joe is the very quiet, hard working father.
Ever since she was little she could float. Her Ma and Pa panicked, and didn't let her leave the fa...more
I am constantly re-reading this and recommending it.
Piper McClould can fly. She can see the good in almost everything, and is always talking and asking questions. Her mother Bettty is a nononsense person, and very religious too. Joe is the very quiet, hard working father.
Ever since she was little she could float. Her Ma and Pa panicked, and didn't let her leave the fa...more
Maybe I'm just more persnickety these days, but I just could not relax into the writing of this book. The opening was fine, but once we get to the meat of the story with Piper, the narrator voice becomes confusing to follow and unreliable to boot. Not to mention I found several of the conceits used in this book annoying. Naming being likely the biggest. Umm . . . Dr. HELLION??? Really can anyone featuring that name be assumed to be a good guy???
I had to skim the rest of the sto...more
I had to skim the rest of the sto...more
Superb. I picked this up for my 10-year-old based on an "if you liked The Mysterious Benedict Society" recommendation, and it did not disappoint. Like an X-Men for kids, this follows a group of kids with special abilities in a modern setting where most people are normal. Most of the story, however, takes place in an underground secret government lab where they use psychological manipulation to convince the kids to reject their abilities and become "normal". (Their special...more
This book probably deserves more than 2 stars, but on GoodReads, 2 stars corresponds to "it was ok," which definitely describes how I felt after reading this book ("Eh, it was okay"). This book was diverting, but as is the case when I pick up a children's fantasy novel that I haven't heard great things about just to scratch the itch (or when you're craving a food but aren't sure exactly what and pick something out of the cupboard), it ended up falling flat and left me wantin...more
‘Jika kau tidak memilih jalan mana yang akan kau tempuh, maka orang lainlah yang akan memilihkannya untukmu’.
‘Tentukan pilihanmu. Raih, kejar dan wujudkan mimpimu.’
‘Kita tidak bisa belajar sesuatu yang berharga tanpa membuat beberapa kesalahan.’
Menurutku ceritanya sangat menarik, malahan dibeberapa bagian cerita membuat mata yang baca berkaca-kaca bahkan sempat menitikkan air mata. Banyak nilai-nilai yang ditanamkan dari si kecil Piper McCloud.
Joe dan Betty M...more
‘Tentukan pilihanmu. Raih, kejar dan wujudkan mimpimu.’
‘Kita tidak bisa belajar sesuatu yang berharga tanpa membuat beberapa kesalahan.’
Menurutku ceritanya sangat menarik, malahan dibeberapa bagian cerita membuat mata yang baca berkaca-kaca bahkan sempat menitikkan air mata. Banyak nilai-nilai yang ditanamkan dari si kecil Piper McCloud.
Joe dan Betty M...more
It's a really cool book!
When Piper show off her flying in a baseball game, now everyone knows that she can fly. When she woke up one morning she found all those photographers and reporters, helicopters, and cars all over her family's farm. And then out came out the most beautiful women on earth(so people said) Dr. Hellin, determined to take Piper away to her an underground school for people with special abilities like her. Bella-who can make rainbows, Kimber-who can make electricities, Smit...more
When Piper show off her flying in a baseball game, now everyone knows that she can fly. When she woke up one morning she found all those photographers and reporters, helicopters, and cars all over her family's farm. And then out came out the most beautiful women on earth(so people said) Dr. Hellin, determined to take Piper away to her an underground school for people with special abilities like her. Bella-who can make rainbows, Kimber-who can make electricities, Smit...more
This was the first book I decided to read off the Iowa Children's Choice Award list, and as I was reading it, I decided it would probably be my favorite. I guess we'll find out in the next few months if that prediction was true!
OK, so I loved this book. It's the story of a girl named Piper McCloud. As you could probably tell from the title, Piper has the ability to fly. It doesn't come easy, but she practices hard and soon finds that it is the only thing that makes her truly happy. How...more
OK, so I loved this book. It's the story of a girl named Piper McCloud. As you could probably tell from the title, Piper has the ability to fly. It doesn't come easy, but she practices hard and soon finds that it is the only thing that makes her truly happy. How...more
I picked the book up one day in my school library and since I was already Brisingr, I swore to myself that when I finished the tome I would come back for it for the blurb of the book caught my attention. Of course, I stuck to my word and picked it up later on that week. However, I was surprised by the strange way the author presented the characters. I didn't like it, literally speaking. But after a while I came to like the characters and it made me smile everytime the characters spoke.
...more
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Reviewed for My Comfy Chair - Safe, friendly Kid-lit reviews
The Girl Who Could Fly is a good book, but it doesn't make me happy to say that. Some books only aim for good, and if they attain that, everyone is happy. I wanted to love this book, and it had the potential, but it fell short over and over. Lots of kids will read and like this book, but the words that kept running through my head were those of Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront:
The Girl Who Could Fly is a good book, but it doesn't make me happy to say that. Some books only aim for good, and if they attain that, everyone is happy. I wanted to love this book, and it had the potential, but it fell short over and over. Lots of kids will read and like this book, but the words that kept running through my head were those of Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront:
I coulda had class. I coulda been a co...more
This is like a cross between X-men and Anne of Green Gables, but in a very good way. :)
Piper McCloud is born to God-fearing parents who have come from generations of folk who always have done things the same way and see no reason to change. Piper turns their lives upside down when she starts to float as a baby. They are terrified that someone will find out, and with good reason--the live in a gossipy, close-minded community. After Piper teaches herself to fly, her parents tell her to s...more
Piper McCloud is born to God-fearing parents who have come from generations of folk who always have done things the same way and see no reason to change. Piper turns their lives upside down when she starts to float as a baby. They are terrified that someone will find out, and with good reason--the live in a gossipy, close-minded community. After Piper teaches herself to fly, her parents tell her to s...more
Have you ever picked up a book and thought, "Hmm, that sounds interesting," then, upon reading it, think it's middle-ground, only to change your mind yet again because the final third is so good it more than makes up for everything else? That was my experience with The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester. I'm not saying the first two-thirds were sub-par or dislikable, just that I wasn't hanging onto
every twist and turn in the plot. By the end, however, I was hoping there was...more
every twist and turn in the plot. By the end, however, I was hoping there was...more
LOL, I thought the description of this book intriguing enough that I bought TWO copies of it, accidentally! I read it in one sitting - it's a fun, fast & relatively lighthearted read. I would have enjoyed it as a 10 year old. I wouldn't recommend it for an elementary child if he/she is highly sensitive, especially if any cruelty to animals is upsetting. There just a few pages where Piper discovers that gifted animals, plants & insects are being tortured - crucial to the story in that she doe...more
What a fun book! I love having a 12-year-old neighbor because she lends me books like this! She bought it with her own money and let me read it before the spine was even broken :)
I found this charming and intriguing. There's definitely an X-Men feel to it, but in a great "kid" way. This author totally understands how kids interact with each other, too, and that gave it such believability.
I really like the e e cummings quote at the front of the book: To be n...more
I found this charming and intriguing. There's definitely an X-Men feel to it, but in a great "kid" way. This author totally understands how kids interact with each other, too, and that gave it such believability.
I really like the e e cummings quote at the front of the book: To be n...more
My daughter (a third grader)purchased the book at her school's bookfair. I read the book after she finished it because she couldn't sleep. This is not a book for a Third grader. The story reminded me of thrillers and stories by other authors. I believe it is totally unsuitable to introduce concepts as lobotomy, description of torture to animals and people and their imminent elimination if they don't conform, a replica of the obedience experiment of Milgram (how you can turn into a killer), ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEST BOOK EVER!!!!!!! | 7 | 16 | Jan 24, 2012 02:55pm | |
| Sequel | 4 | 30 | Dec 12, 2011 05:22pm | |
| I LOVED THIS BOOK | 6 | 16 | Jun 05, 2011 09:28pm |
Victoria grew up on a remote farm in Ontario, Canada. After graduating from the University of Toronto, her passion for storytelling led her to write and direct a short film for the CBC. When her next film was completed (The Pony’s Tale which aired on Global Television) she eagerly, and perhaps rashly, set off to Los Angeles.
The famous independent film producer, Roger Corman, mentored...more
More about Victoria Forester...
The famous independent film producer, Roger Corman, mentored...more
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“There is a place deep, deep inside every person that is hidden and hard to find. If things get bad enough and life gets too hard, though, some people will go to that place and never come back from it. Certainly, all outward appearances will suggest otherwise. They will look as they always did. They may even act somewhat like their old selves, but the trut is, the real truth is that they are hiding in this place deep inside where no one can touch or hurt them anymore.”
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“My ma told me that there isn't anything in this life worth having that comes easy. She told me that every road I walk down's gonna have a price. But what she didn't tell me and what I learned since I've been here is that if you don't choose the road you're gonna walk, sooner or later someone else'll do that choosing for you.”
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