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Race for the Sky: The Kitty Hawk Diaries of Johnny Moore
Johnny Moore lives in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina at the turn of the twentieth century. He is there to witness the Wright brothers make history by becoming the first people to fly. But Johnny's life changes years before the dramatic first flight, when his mama gives him a blank book and tells him to write in it.
At first, Johnny doesn't think he has anything interesting to write about in his journal. When he does put his pencil to the paper, his spelling and grammar are terrible. But pretty soon some "dingbatters" from Ohio, called the Wright brothers, breeze into town and Johnny starts to have more of a story to tell. Before he knows it, he is writing every day, telling about helping the Wrights build their flying machine.
Over the course of three years, he forms a friendship with the odd brothers from Ohio, improves his writing and grammar quite a bit, and if he waits long enough, he might even get to fly!
At first, Johnny doesn't think he has anything interesting to write about in his journal. When he does put his pencil to the paper, his spelling and grammar are terrible. But pretty soon some "dingbatters" from Ohio, called the Wright brothers, breeze into town and Johnny starts to have more of a story to tell. Before he knows it, he is writing every day, telling about helping the Wrights build their flying machine.
Over the course of three years, he forms a friendship with the odd brothers from Ohio, improves his writing and grammar quite a bit, and if he waits long enough, he might even get to fly!
- GenresHistorical Fiction
192 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2003
6 people are currently reading
62 people want to read
About the author
Dan Gutman
392 books1,042 followersThe author of over 80 books in a little over a decade of writing, Dan Gutman has written on topics from computers to baseball. Beginning his freelance career as a nonfiction author dealing mostly with sports for adults and young readers, Gutman has concentrated on juvenile fiction since 1995. His most popular titles include the time-travel sports book Honus and Me and its sequels, and a clutch of baseball books, including The Green Monster from Left Field. From hopeful and very youthful presidential candidates to stunt men, nothing is off limits in Gutman's fertile imagination. As he noted on his author Web site, since writing his first novel, They Came from Centerfield, in 1994, he has been hooked on fiction. "It was fun to write, kids loved it, and I discovered how incredibly rewarding it is to take a blank page and turn it into a WORLD."
Gutman was born in New York City in 1955, but moved to Newark, New Jersey the following year and spent his youth there.
Gutman was born in New York City in 1955, but moved to Newark, New Jersey the following year and spent his youth there.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
November 12, 2016
A boy witnesses the Wright brothers make history...
I reckon there must be a ton of words written about those fellers Orville and Wilbur Wright. Some of the words are true, some of them are lies, but mostly the words are just left out cause the folks who wrote 'em just weren't there when it all happened.
-First sentence
This book is written as the diary of Johnny Moore, from January 1, 1900 through 1908. He lives in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina and witnesses the Wright brothers make history by being the first people to fly. He starts off as a 15-year old boy spying to try to figure out what Wilbur and Orville are up to, then he meets Wilbur and becomes a part of history.
Johnny's grammar and language are dreadful. He doesn't curse, but he uses a lot of slang that may be difficult for middle grade students to understand. It was a bit distracting at first, but I got used to it.
The story was interesting and quick to read. I finished it in an afternoon. A child in grades 4 and up who has an interest in the Wright brothers or inventions, would probably enjoy this book. It is written by Dan Gutman who is a prolific writer of middle grade books (including the baseball card adventures like Honus and Me).
I reckon there must be a ton of words written about those fellers Orville and Wilbur Wright. Some of the words are true, some of them are lies, but mostly the words are just left out cause the folks who wrote 'em just weren't there when it all happened.
-First sentence
This book is written as the diary of Johnny Moore, from January 1, 1900 through 1908. He lives in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina and witnesses the Wright brothers make history by being the first people to fly. He starts off as a 15-year old boy spying to try to figure out what Wilbur and Orville are up to, then he meets Wilbur and becomes a part of history.
Johnny's grammar and language are dreadful. He doesn't curse, but he uses a lot of slang that may be difficult for middle grade students to understand. It was a bit distracting at first, but I got used to it.
The story was interesting and quick to read. I finished it in an afternoon. A child in grades 4 and up who has an interest in the Wright brothers or inventions, would probably enjoy this book. It is written by Dan Gutman who is a prolific writer of middle grade books (including the baseball card adventures like Honus and Me).
December 16, 2016
Being a pilot myself, I am a big fan of the Wright Brothers. Gutman does a great job of creating an engaging story about a great moment in history. Really enjoyed it.
March 13, 2018
Nice introduction to the Wright brothers adventures in Kitty Hawk. The pictures included in the book were great.
June 1, 2019
This was an especially fun YA read after visiting Outer Banks and Kitty Hawk!
May 24, 2011
Race for the sky Diaries of Johnny Moore by Dan Gutman
“Yup that’s me wanna go fishing!”
The kitty hawk Diaries of Johnny Moore is about a young feller like Johnny who grows up, gets married, and watches the very first aeroplane ever, oh yeah he also meets the wright brothers
In this book it really is a race for the sky when the wright brothers
Wilber and Orville Wright are in a computation with a prof. Langley
That tries too steal the blueprints for a aeroplane. When Johnny fids a creepy guy taking pictures of the wright brothers aeroplane.
The characters are the wright brothers, Johnny Moore ,Chloe Beasly ,Dan Tate , The three Doctors , Captain Tate oh and mother of Johnny
Johnny is a boy that doesn’t want to go to SCHOOL so his mom makes him write a diary instead of going too school. There are new people in kitty hawk They call them selves the wright brothers I RECON they must be as dead as crazy. Johnny had a dead calf on his hands and the mother is so sad that she wont come in the barn .So the brilent Johnny takes out what it worked !.One day Johnny went over too see f the wright brothers were spys turns out there not instead of spying the are here to test there new too the world glider not the first one but the first one in kitty hawk.
all the meat and wears the skin too confuse the mom too come in guess There are new doctors or something to see the glider but there is a old friend of the wright brothers Prof. Langley and tries too steal there blue prints too bad that Johnny is not able too go to the wright camp because he has too go too Chole beasly’s birthday party she always says that one day she will catch up to Johnny but he is ten years older than then her he always say she will catch up too him when he is ten years dead then she starts crying so he plays with her. Today Johnny saw a man taking pictures of the aeroplane Johnny still thinks that man is a spy.great news Langley is dead so the race still on the local news tells the world how too build a aeroplane the wright brothers have people from france
Building a aeroplane . Johnny has gone with the wright brothers for over eight years now the wright brothers have finished the aeroplane and Johnny wants too take a ride so he gets on and tells chloe he wants to get hitched and she says YES!!!!!!!!!!! The wright brothers make the world record of history.
“Yup that’s me wanna go fishing!”
The kitty hawk Diaries of Johnny Moore is about a young feller like Johnny who grows up, gets married, and watches the very first aeroplane ever, oh yeah he also meets the wright brothers
In this book it really is a race for the sky when the wright brothers
Wilber and Orville Wright are in a computation with a prof. Langley
That tries too steal the blueprints for a aeroplane. When Johnny fids a creepy guy taking pictures of the wright brothers aeroplane.
The characters are the wright brothers, Johnny Moore ,Chloe Beasly ,Dan Tate , The three Doctors , Captain Tate oh and mother of Johnny
Johnny is a boy that doesn’t want to go to SCHOOL so his mom makes him write a diary instead of going too school. There are new people in kitty hawk They call them selves the wright brothers I RECON they must be as dead as crazy. Johnny had a dead calf on his hands and the mother is so sad that she wont come in the barn .So the brilent Johnny takes out what it worked !.One day Johnny went over too see f the wright brothers were spys turns out there not instead of spying the are here to test there new too the world glider not the first one but the first one in kitty hawk.
all the meat and wears the skin too confuse the mom too come in guess There are new doctors or something to see the glider but there is a old friend of the wright brothers Prof. Langley and tries too steal there blue prints too bad that Johnny is not able too go to the wright camp because he has too go too Chole beasly’s birthday party she always says that one day she will catch up to Johnny but he is ten years older than then her he always say she will catch up too him when he is ten years dead then she starts crying so he plays with her. Today Johnny saw a man taking pictures of the aeroplane Johnny still thinks that man is a spy.great news Langley is dead so the race still on the local news tells the world how too build a aeroplane the wright brothers have people from france
Building a aeroplane . Johnny has gone with the wright brothers for over eight years now the wright brothers have finished the aeroplane and Johnny wants too take a ride so he gets on and tells chloe he wants to get hitched and she says YES!!!!!!!!!!! The wright brothers make the world record of history.
November 7, 2013
Many students are familiar with Dan Gutman’s books. He is the author of The Homework Machine,The Million Dollar Shot, The Talent Show and the My Weird School series. He has a series of books that begin with Honus & Me which involve a magic baseball card possessing the power to transport its owner into the life and times of famous baseball players. Somewhat less well known are his Qwerty Stevens time travel adventures with Thomas Edison and Benjamin Franklin and Race for the Sky: The Kittyhawk Diaries.
These stories are a fantastic blend of historical fact and fiction. As a student I was never really interested in learning history. I thought it was boring. I didn’t realize that reading the books in grade school about the baseball star Ty Cobb and Corrie Ten Boom’s autobiography from World War II–books I vividly recall to this very day–were history brought to life.
The connection between the two was not shown to me until I met Sister Mary Thomas. Sister Mary Thomas was a tiny little woman who wore glasses so thick they made her resemble a comical bug-eyed frog–and she would be the first person to tell you so with a sparkling laugh. She was born in North Dakota, hated geese (which is why you were not allowed to make the “Shh!” sound in her class), loved to read and ADORED history–especially Andrew Jackson.
The year I spent in Sr. Mary Thomas’ Advanced History class taught me that history could be exciting and interesting. In the years since that high school history class I have discovered the world of art history, French history, early 19th and 20th century American history, the history of dance and theatre and the remarkable stories of extraordinary individuals both past and present. (At one point I even considered a career as an art historian!)
Discovering Dan Gutman’s historical fiction brought back all that excitement. I discovered numerous things about Edison, Franklin, and the Wright brothers and their historic Kittyhawk adventures of which I was unaware. Gutman’s stories brought those times and those historical figures vividly to life in my imagination.
I highly recommend these books–as well as his entire body of work–as both independent and read-aloud choices! They probably work best for 3rd-7th grade, but, as always, could extend on either side of that range depending on the individual.
These stories are a fantastic blend of historical fact and fiction. As a student I was never really interested in learning history. I thought it was boring. I didn’t realize that reading the books in grade school about the baseball star Ty Cobb and Corrie Ten Boom’s autobiography from World War II–books I vividly recall to this very day–were history brought to life.
The connection between the two was not shown to me until I met Sister Mary Thomas. Sister Mary Thomas was a tiny little woman who wore glasses so thick they made her resemble a comical bug-eyed frog–and she would be the first person to tell you so with a sparkling laugh. She was born in North Dakota, hated geese (which is why you were not allowed to make the “Shh!” sound in her class), loved to read and ADORED history–especially Andrew Jackson.
The year I spent in Sr. Mary Thomas’ Advanced History class taught me that history could be exciting and interesting. In the years since that high school history class I have discovered the world of art history, French history, early 19th and 20th century American history, the history of dance and theatre and the remarkable stories of extraordinary individuals both past and present. (At one point I even considered a career as an art historian!)
Discovering Dan Gutman’s historical fiction brought back all that excitement. I discovered numerous things about Edison, Franklin, and the Wright brothers and their historic Kittyhawk adventures of which I was unaware. Gutman’s stories brought those times and those historical figures vividly to life in my imagination.
I highly recommend these books–as well as his entire body of work–as both independent and read-aloud choices! They probably work best for 3rd-7th grade, but, as always, could extend on either side of that range depending on the individual.
May 27, 2015
The book "Race for the Sky" is a very interesting book about how the Wright brothers came to create the first powered aircraft that carried human passengers successfully. The book is written as a diary from the perspective of a boy called Johnny Moore. I would give this book four stars because the book was very interesting. Many of the obstacles and problems in building the airplane were described very clearly. How the Wright brothers looked and their attitudes were easy to visualize. There was also a lot of detail about each plane and glider and how it was built. The book also included the Wright brothers competitors, family and other people who came from other countries to see the Wright brothers and help or spy on them. I would recommend this book to people who are interested in how airplanes were created and what problems were faced in the creation of the airplane.
The main characters in this book are Johnny Moore, Orville Wright, and Wilbur Wright. All of these three people are true characters. Johnny Moore did witness the first flight but did not do everything he did in the book and was not a daily presence to the Wright brothers. Everything in the story with that had to do with Orville and Wilbur Wright are all true. Johnny Moore is 14 at the start of the book/his first diary. Orville is 29 years old at the beginning and Wilbur is 4 years older, 33 years old. Orville is a very optimistic man with curly brown hair and a mustache. Wilbur is slightly more pessimistic and is little taller than Orville.
The book takes place in 1900-1908 in two towns next to each other called Kitty Hawk and Nags Head. These two towns are in the middle east of North Carolina right next to the sea. There is one general store and most people make a living from catching seafood in the ocean and selling it or doing little jobs in their houses like fortune telling.There are barely any trees and most would be dead. Almost the entire area is made up of large sand dunes and folks would build their building on the flatter areas on sand. All houses had a farm with a two cows or a few chickens for milk and eggs. Most people wore shoes with the exception of the children, who did not like shoes. At the edge of the ocean there is a port which is how most people (which is very little) come and go to Kitty Hawk and Nags Head.
The main characters in this book are Johnny Moore, Orville Wright, and Wilbur Wright. All of these three people are true characters. Johnny Moore did witness the first flight but did not do everything he did in the book and was not a daily presence to the Wright brothers. Everything in the story with that had to do with Orville and Wilbur Wright are all true. Johnny Moore is 14 at the start of the book/his first diary. Orville is 29 years old at the beginning and Wilbur is 4 years older, 33 years old. Orville is a very optimistic man with curly brown hair and a mustache. Wilbur is slightly more pessimistic and is little taller than Orville.
The book takes place in 1900-1908 in two towns next to each other called Kitty Hawk and Nags Head. These two towns are in the middle east of North Carolina right next to the sea. There is one general store and most people make a living from catching seafood in the ocean and selling it or doing little jobs in their houses like fortune telling.There are barely any trees and most would be dead. Almost the entire area is made up of large sand dunes and folks would build their building on the flatter areas on sand. All houses had a farm with a two cows or a few chickens for milk and eggs. Most people wore shoes with the exception of the children, who did not like shoes. At the edge of the ocean there is a port which is how most people (which is very little) come and go to Kitty Hawk and Nags Head.
January 20, 2017
The book that I read was Race for the Sky by Dan Gutman. Dan Gutman got 4 awards for Race for the Sky. They are the Notable Social Trade Book, Keystone to Reading Book Award Master List, South Carolina Book award Nominee, and Volunteer State Book Award Master. If these awards don't impress you, then what does? The genre of this book is Historical Fiction. I say this because this book takes place in the 1900's with not all true information. The main characters in this book are Wilbur Wright, Orville Wright, and Johnny. Johnny lives in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina in 1900-1903. Johnny was watching and talking to the Wright brothers as they built the first flying machine known to mankind. When Johnny gets bored with going to school he asks his mom if instead of going to school he can writes in a blank journal everyday. Later Johnny has nothing to write about until he meets the Wrights. The Internal Conflict I found was on page 39, character vs self. Mr.Wilbur said that Johnny can maybe fly next year. This disappointed Johnny so much because he was so proud of what of the Wright brothers' work. Johnny understood why they didn't want him to get hurt. The external conflict I found was on page 17, character vs society. Mr.Wilbur was being mocked and laughed at everyday. This is because he was trying to build a flying machine and no one thought he could do it. Although people made fun of him, Wilbur didn't give up. He pushed on to build his first model.
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. This is because the author made sure that the reader knows what happened everyday. Also, I liked how the story was told from a 12 year old boy's perspective and not from the Wright brothers' perspective because it was easy to connect and relate to Johnny's thoughts more. The reason that I didn't give the book 5 stars is because it was a short read and I wanted to know more. I recommend this book to 7th graders who are interested in flight and have a great imagination. I say this because Dan Gutman is a children's author. Secondly, the book is all about flight and historical people. Lastly, this book happened in the 1900’s so the reader has to imagine many people's emotions and the scene.
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. This is because the author made sure that the reader knows what happened everyday. Also, I liked how the story was told from a 12 year old boy's perspective and not from the Wright brothers' perspective because it was easy to connect and relate to Johnny's thoughts more. The reason that I didn't give the book 5 stars is because it was a short read and I wanted to know more. I recommend this book to 7th graders who are interested in flight and have a great imagination. I say this because Dan Gutman is a children's author. Secondly, the book is all about flight and historical people. Lastly, this book happened in the 1900’s so the reader has to imagine many people's emotions and the scene.
September 5, 2008
Title: "Race for the Sky:The Kitty Hawk Diaries of Johnny Moore"
Author: Dan Gutman
Photographs courtesy of the Library of Congress and Dan Gutman
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Pub. Date: 2003
Genre: Historical Fiction Novel
Grades: 3-8
This story is an informative book to read. It is about a boy named Johnny Moore, who is given a book with blank pages from his mother to write in. Encouraged by his mother, Johnny Moore writes about his day to day activities along with meeting and helping Orville and Wilbur Wright when they come to Kitty Hawk. The diary entries give dates and steps of how the Wright brothers built, tested, and flew, with successes and failures along the way. This is a fictional novel, because Johnny Moore was not as involved as the diary entries share, but the dates, events, and locations are a true historical progress of the Wright brothers. Johnny Moore did witness the first manned, power flight on December 17, 1903.
Activities:
This book would be a good book to use with a unit lesson on flight or to use to celebrate "Wright Brothers Day" on December 17th.
1. With integrating Math and Science, I will have my students make a data chart and add to it, as they read each chapter. The students will log in 1)what kind of flight was done, 2)date of the flight, 3)how long was the flight, 4)distance of the flight, and 5)their thoughts of reflection. After reading this book, I would have the students make a data chart for their own paper airplane flights. They will log in the same type of information from their experiments of making and testing their paper airplanes. Their paper airplanes can be made in different shapes and styles, along with different types of paper.
2. I would give the students their own blank booklet to write journal entries in each day for a period of time. As part of a unit lesson on flight, the students can write about their experiments and how they constructed, tested, and need to improve their paper airplanes.
Author: Dan Gutman
Photographs courtesy of the Library of Congress and Dan Gutman
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Pub. Date: 2003
Genre: Historical Fiction Novel
Grades: 3-8
This story is an informative book to read. It is about a boy named Johnny Moore, who is given a book with blank pages from his mother to write in. Encouraged by his mother, Johnny Moore writes about his day to day activities along with meeting and helping Orville and Wilbur Wright when they come to Kitty Hawk. The diary entries give dates and steps of how the Wright brothers built, tested, and flew, with successes and failures along the way. This is a fictional novel, because Johnny Moore was not as involved as the diary entries share, but the dates, events, and locations are a true historical progress of the Wright brothers. Johnny Moore did witness the first manned, power flight on December 17, 1903.
Activities:
This book would be a good book to use with a unit lesson on flight or to use to celebrate "Wright Brothers Day" on December 17th.
1. With integrating Math and Science, I will have my students make a data chart and add to it, as they read each chapter. The students will log in 1)what kind of flight was done, 2)date of the flight, 3)how long was the flight, 4)distance of the flight, and 5)their thoughts of reflection. After reading this book, I would have the students make a data chart for their own paper airplane flights. They will log in the same type of information from their experiments of making and testing their paper airplanes. Their paper airplanes can be made in different shapes and styles, along with different types of paper.
2. I would give the students their own blank booklet to write journal entries in each day for a period of time. As part of a unit lesson on flight, the students can write about their experiments and how they constructed, tested, and need to improve their paper airplanes.
October 16, 2013
gr 4-7 166pgs
1900 Kill Devil Hills, N Carolina. 15 year old Johnny Moore loves to hunt and fish and hates school. When his mother gives him a journal for his birthday, Johnny convinces her to let him stop attending school. In exchange, Johnny agrees to write in his journal every (well..almost every day). At first, he doesn't have much to write about. Then one day the Wright brothers arrive....
Although Johnny does mention baseball (his favorite team Orphans (later known as The Cubs), the focus of the story is the Wright brothers' work to create a successful flying machine.
1900 Kill Devil Hills, N Carolina. 15 year old Johnny Moore loves to hunt and fish and hates school. When his mother gives him a journal for his birthday, Johnny convinces her to let him stop attending school. In exchange, Johnny agrees to write in his journal every (well..almost every day). At first, he doesn't have much to write about. Then one day the Wright brothers arrive....
Although Johnny does mention baseball (his favorite team Orphans (later known as The Cubs), the focus of the story is the Wright brothers' work to create a successful flying machine.
March 22, 2014
A fictionalized account of the tests at Kitty Hawk and the eventual success of the Wright brothers. This is a very accessible book for students who may shy away from nonfiction but want to learn about events from the past because the voice of the protagonist (who was actually someone who was there for the tests of the gliders and "aeroplane") is well-written and the facts are woven well into the narrative. I also liked the use of primary source documents including pictures and newspaper clippings that were spread throughout the text.
January 7, 2011
Race for the Sky weaves together the story of Johnny Moore as he witnessed the Wright Brothers develop the first airplane. Gutman uses real people as characters and integrates excerpts of Orville and Wilbur Wright's letters. Johnny Moore was at the first flight of the airplane, but his character is fictionalized as he journals accounts over a period of years.
This was an interesting exploration of the first flight and the race to the sky.
This was an interesting exploration of the first flight and the race to the sky.
January 16, 2016
This book was written in 1st person, of a Johnny Moore, a person who lived in Kitty Hawk, when the Wright brothers came, and told their idea of human flight. They spend years building prototypes, and overcame failure, to give humanity the gift of flight. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in flight, or history. It is very well written, and is very knowledgeable.
April 16, 2016
I really enjoyed reading this book! I thought the characters were great and well-developed. I wish there culd be a sequel. This is a definate in a historical fiction read!
October 9, 2014
My favorite Dan Gutman book for everyone.
February 29, 2016
Awesome!!!! It has great history! Amazing!!
October 25, 2016
What a great book!
December 16, 2016
Great read for middle grade readers! Gutman does a great job of writing an engaging story about a great moment in history. Loved the book!
January 8, 2017
Historical fiction. All historical characters. Wealth of primary source material.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews