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Flight #116 Is Down!
An award-winning dramatic thriller finds a young girl confronting her fears and making heroic efforts at the terrifying scene of a crashed 747.
208 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1992
123 people are currently reading
1138 people want to read
About the author
Caroline B. Cooney
129 books1,766 followersCaroline Cooney knew in sixth grade that she wanted to be a writer when "the best teacher I ever had in my life" made writing her main focus. "He used to rip off covers from The New Yorker and pass them around and make us write a short story on whichever cover we got. I started writing then and never stopped!"
When her children were young, Caroline started writing books for young people -- with remarkable results. She began to sell stories to Seventeen magazine and soon after began writing books. Suspense novels are her favorites to read and write. "In a suspense novel, you can count on action."
To keep her stories realistic, Caroline visits many schools outside of her area, learning more about teenagers all the time. She often organizes what she calls a "plotting game," in which students work together to create plots for stories. Caroline lives in Westbrook, Connecticut and when she's not writing she volunteers at a hospital, plays piano for the school musicals and daydreams!
- Scholastic.com
When her children were young, Caroline started writing books for young people -- with remarkable results. She began to sell stories to Seventeen magazine and soon after began writing books. Suspense novels are her favorites to read and write. "In a suspense novel, you can count on action."
To keep her stories realistic, Caroline visits many schools outside of her area, learning more about teenagers all the time. She often organizes what she calls a "plotting game," in which students work together to create plots for stories. Caroline lives in Westbrook, Connecticut and when she's not writing she volunteers at a hospital, plays piano for the school musicals and daydreams!
- Scholastic.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 261 reviews
February 7, 2012
The students have been reading this for years. I've long recognized it as a book to pull students into reading. But I'd never taken it off the shelf until yesterday.
It is good! At first I was confused. The author begins by taking the readers into the thoughts and motivations of a lot of characters. I had a hard time keeping them separate. Then the plane crashed (<--not a spoiler) and I discovered I was already invested in the characters; I cared what happened: if they lived or died or what.
For a while, I thought this was a girls' book. Then I thought it was a boys' book. Now I think it's just a good book.
It is good! At first I was confused. The author begins by taking the readers into the thoughts and motivations of a lot of characters. I had a hard time keeping them separate. Then the plane crashed (<--not a spoiler) and I discovered I was already invested in the characters; I cared what happened: if they lived or died or what.
For a while, I thought this was a girls' book. Then I thought it was a boys' book. Now I think it's just a good book.
June 14, 2007
I should never have read this book. It probably contributed to my need to be prepared for outlandish emergency scenarios.
May 8, 2011
I loved the protagonists, Heidi and Patrick, and also the way Cooney perfectly captured the suspense and sense of heart-stopping horror and sick fascination that people feel when they come face to face with the scene of an accident. As a reader, Cooney managed to make me feel like I'm part of the confusion - at times experiencing the confusion and terror that the passengers experienced, and at times the adrenaline that the rescue workers felt.
By letting us meet different passengers as well as locals in the area, it also made the experience that much more personal, as we hate certain characters and like others (and worry for their safety). Darienne is the type of spoilt and selflish brat that leaves you agape at her lack of basic manners and human empathy, but that's what makes the novel so much more realistic. Other characters are a lot more sympathetic, like little Teddy or Carly.
I honestly picked Flight #116 out by accident, but ended up enjoying every word of it. Highly recommended.
By letting us meet different passengers as well as locals in the area, it also made the experience that much more personal, as we hate certain characters and like others (and worry for their safety). Darienne is the type of spoilt and selflish brat that leaves you agape at her lack of basic manners and human empathy, but that's what makes the novel so much more realistic. Other characters are a lot more sympathetic, like little Teddy or Carly.
I honestly picked Flight #116 out by accident, but ended up enjoying every word of it. Highly recommended.
March 29, 2016
I initially read this as a kid and remembered finding it very gripping and intense, though few details stood out in my mind (except that spoiled little $#!+ Darienne, I remembered her!). A few weeks ago, after randomly picking up another title by the same author, I got curious as to whether this one was as good as I remembered. Long story short: oh yeah. There are several POV characters, and most of them are by necessity only briefly sketched, but all come off as interesting and believable. The action and suspense is unrelenting, as in any good disaster yarn, but there is real feeling here, too; I definitely got a little teary at least a couple times. It's a quick read, and leaves a lot of threads without clear resolution, but it still feels like a complete story; like the characters themselves, we don't know what ultimately becomes of everyone, but the conclusion is satisfying nonetheless. Excellent read.
May 19, 2016
I first read Flight #116 is Down as a preteen in middle school, but MAN! it holds up! The only things that stand out as different are the changes in the airport and no cell phones, but these things really do not change the impact of the story. I loved discussing it with one of my student lit circles/book clubs; we each devoured it because it was so suspenseful.
February 6, 2023
“It was a plane crash. In her woods. There were people in there. That’s what those flying missiles were. Bodies. And seats.”
“This is what it means…to hang onto life by a thread. I am not attached by jugular vein or pumping heart or spinal column. I am attached by a thread.”
“The Dove House Crash is the worst in recent memory.”
3.5 Stars Out Of 5
I found Flight #116 Is Down to be very different from a lot of the Scholastic Point books. Instead of a young adult book that dealt with the supernatural or murders, this was a suspenseful action book about a plane crash. It is a fairly quick read where the focus is on how people react in a disaster and trying to triage and rescue people as quickly and safely as possible. It should make you appreciate what emergency workers have to go through. I really liked the two main teenage protagonists, Patrick and Heidi. The parts told from their perspectives were excellent. The biggest complaint, though, was the exhausting list of characters in the beginning of the book and how long it took to get to the actual plane crash. It was difficult keeping track of who was who for awhile there. I did feel like there was maybe something missing that would have made this book even better, like a scene or two on some close call rescues. But overall, it was a good read.
“This is what it means…to hang onto life by a thread. I am not attached by jugular vein or pumping heart or spinal column. I am attached by a thread.”
“The Dove House Crash is the worst in recent memory.”
3.5 Stars Out Of 5
I found Flight #116 Is Down to be very different from a lot of the Scholastic Point books. Instead of a young adult book that dealt with the supernatural or murders, this was a suspenseful action book about a plane crash. It is a fairly quick read where the focus is on how people react in a disaster and trying to triage and rescue people as quickly and safely as possible. It should make you appreciate what emergency workers have to go through. I really liked the two main teenage protagonists, Patrick and Heidi. The parts told from their perspectives were excellent. The biggest complaint, though, was the exhausting list of characters in the beginning of the book and how long it took to get to the actual plane crash. It was difficult keeping track of who was who for awhile there. I did feel like there was maybe something missing that would have made this book even better, like a scene or two on some close call rescues. But overall, it was a good read.
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May 25, 2016Personal Response: I read the book Flight 116 is Down by Caroline B. Cooney. The book was a great book in my mind. Even though the cover gives the crash away it still surprised me. The book was written with great detail. The writer really makes it feel like the story and the crash was happening around the reader.
Plot: The book started out with a young boy named Patrick who was a seventeen year old who was a part of the junior first responder team. Patrick always dreamed about the time he will be able to show everyone that he would be a suitable EMT. Patrick would always sit at the coffee shop downtown. He forced himself to drink the coffee while he listed in on all of the EMT’s stories that they had. His mother and his father were also apart of the Nearing River Emergency squad. There was also a girl named Heidi who lived at the Dove House outside of town about seven miles. Her parents traveled all over the world doing all types of cool things. Heidi went to a boarding school where she did not fit in at all and wished that she could just move home. The Dove house was watched by an elderly woman who took care of the gardens and the home itself. When Heidi came home from break was when the action started to happen. There was a plane a boeing seven-thirty-seven airplane that was traveling through Connecticut loaded with passengers on it. Off those passengers included two young boys Tuck and Daniel, they were on their way to their dad's wedding. Daniel was the older of the two at the age of fifteen and Tuck was ten. Then there is Darienne a spoiled and smart girl who is very pretty, but because of this, she was very stuck up and snobby. The plane ride was going very smoothly when all of a sudden the plane started losing altitude and shaking out of control. The plane was going down. Panic soon broke out on the plane and people were crying and hugging loved ones. The announcement came over the speaker to take the crash position. The plane crash landed in Heidi’s back yard of the dove house. The chaos was just beginning for Heidi. She heard a loud crash and took off to the back yard and that is when she saw the plane that had crashed. At first Heidi panicked, she soon got her wit back and called for help, meanwhile help was on the way Heidi helped multiple people to the dove house for warmth and to wait for help. Patrick was the first one on the scene and between himself and Heidi they moved more and more people to the Dove house for safety. They also found people with no serious injuries. Those people also came to help out. Soon there were multiple ambulances and fire trucks that took up the one lane road to the Dove House. There were so many cars from Nearing River and all surrounding towns of Connecticut that lined the road to the Dove House. All the cars created a little problem when the ambulance crews and fire rescue vehicles were trying to get through to the crash scene, Heidi made a bold move and told them to cut down the ancient rose bushes that were in the front of the Dove House. The crews could then get to the crash scene with ease. The house itself was a command post for all the wounded people and for people to wait for ambulances. The house was a disaster, but Heidi did not care. Heidi was glad that she did the right thing and helped out the people that needed the help. At the end of the night Heidi knew she could not stay at home, so Patrick and his parents offered a spot for Heidi to sleep while the house got cleaned. Patrick enjoyed having Heidi over and liked spending time with her.
Characterization: There were two main characters in this story. Patrick who was a smart seventeen year old boy who was a junior emergency responder. Heidi who was the owner's kid on where the crash took place. She was also 17 and went to the same high school as Patrick.
Impact of setting: The book took place in Nearing River, Connecticut. There was no given time to the story, but it seemed to take place in the late nineties. The plane crashed in a small field surrounded by trees and on a dead end small road. The road caused chaos when they tried to bring all the emergency vehicles to the scene.
Thematic Connection: The theme of this story was to never give up on the dreams one sets no matter how big or small they feel. The book shows this by Patrick, who wants to be an EMT, but always gets pushed off the crime scenes. He didn't let it bother him and he kept pursuing his dreams. He finally got his chance to prove to the others that he was strong enough to be an EMT. He proved he was worthy and he got his EMT license.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book to anyone who likes action books, even though it was a slow action. The book has some gory parts in it, so I would say grade school and up. This book is not gender specific.
Plot: The book started out with a young boy named Patrick who was a seventeen year old who was a part of the junior first responder team. Patrick always dreamed about the time he will be able to show everyone that he would be a suitable EMT. Patrick would always sit at the coffee shop downtown. He forced himself to drink the coffee while he listed in on all of the EMT’s stories that they had. His mother and his father were also apart of the Nearing River Emergency squad. There was also a girl named Heidi who lived at the Dove House outside of town about seven miles. Her parents traveled all over the world doing all types of cool things. Heidi went to a boarding school where she did not fit in at all and wished that she could just move home. The Dove house was watched by an elderly woman who took care of the gardens and the home itself. When Heidi came home from break was when the action started to happen. There was a plane a boeing seven-thirty-seven airplane that was traveling through Connecticut loaded with passengers on it. Off those passengers included two young boys Tuck and Daniel, they were on their way to their dad's wedding. Daniel was the older of the two at the age of fifteen and Tuck was ten. Then there is Darienne a spoiled and smart girl who is very pretty, but because of this, she was very stuck up and snobby. The plane ride was going very smoothly when all of a sudden the plane started losing altitude and shaking out of control. The plane was going down. Panic soon broke out on the plane and people were crying and hugging loved ones. The announcement came over the speaker to take the crash position. The plane crash landed in Heidi’s back yard of the dove house. The chaos was just beginning for Heidi. She heard a loud crash and took off to the back yard and that is when she saw the plane that had crashed. At first Heidi panicked, she soon got her wit back and called for help, meanwhile help was on the way Heidi helped multiple people to the dove house for warmth and to wait for help. Patrick was the first one on the scene and between himself and Heidi they moved more and more people to the Dove house for safety. They also found people with no serious injuries. Those people also came to help out. Soon there were multiple ambulances and fire trucks that took up the one lane road to the Dove House. There were so many cars from Nearing River and all surrounding towns of Connecticut that lined the road to the Dove House. All the cars created a little problem when the ambulance crews and fire rescue vehicles were trying to get through to the crash scene, Heidi made a bold move and told them to cut down the ancient rose bushes that were in the front of the Dove House. The crews could then get to the crash scene with ease. The house itself was a command post for all the wounded people and for people to wait for ambulances. The house was a disaster, but Heidi did not care. Heidi was glad that she did the right thing and helped out the people that needed the help. At the end of the night Heidi knew she could not stay at home, so Patrick and his parents offered a spot for Heidi to sleep while the house got cleaned. Patrick enjoyed having Heidi over and liked spending time with her.
Characterization: There were two main characters in this story. Patrick who was a smart seventeen year old boy who was a junior emergency responder. Heidi who was the owner's kid on where the crash took place. She was also 17 and went to the same high school as Patrick.
Impact of setting: The book took place in Nearing River, Connecticut. There was no given time to the story, but it seemed to take place in the late nineties. The plane crashed in a small field surrounded by trees and on a dead end small road. The road caused chaos when they tried to bring all the emergency vehicles to the scene.
Thematic Connection: The theme of this story was to never give up on the dreams one sets no matter how big or small they feel. The book shows this by Patrick, who wants to be an EMT, but always gets pushed off the crime scenes. He didn't let it bother him and he kept pursuing his dreams. He finally got his chance to prove to the others that he was strong enough to be an EMT. He proved he was worthy and he got his EMT license.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book to anyone who likes action books, even though it was a slow action. The book has some gory parts in it, so I would say grade school and up. This book is not gender specific.
Read
February 8, 2017Personal response:
This book was a cross between a book and a movie. It was trying so hard at both that it did not accomplish either. In the beginning, it was darting around following several families on the path to the plane. The background of one or two families would have worked out much better. The times given was the only information to keep things straight. Introducing characters took way too long for the information received. It took the author 200 pages to write a 100 page book.
Plot:
The beginning of the book followed a handful of people on the trip to the plane. The reason they were going was stated for each person. The crash was seen in a few perspectives, then the book followed the rescuers. First responders were overwhelmed, and too many EMTs arrived. There was not enough room to get people out. They used the house to keep survivors warm, but the deceased were kept in a horse barn. When every survivor was off the scene, investigators looked at possible causes of the crash.
Characterization:
Patrick was young to be a first responder. At the age of 17, his training was not too long ago. He looked forward to something like this to happen. He wanted to be a hero. Patrick was speechless when he first saw the crash. His legs would not move. This was when he realized that being the hero was going to take some work. After he got into the action, his training took over. He was doing well until a massive amount of EMTs arrived. He was told they no longer needed him because they had veterans show up. Even though he was stopped from working, Patrick took a lot away from this crash. Patrick grew, tremendously, as a person. He figured out that hoping for his chance was not a good thing. His job was hope for the best and expect the worst..
Impacts of setting:
The Dove house was not the best place for a plane to crash. This all took place around the 1990s to 2000s. The state where the crash took place was never specified. There were large walls with barbed wire on the top. In several cases, that was what separated the rescuers from the survivors. The combination of the weather and the hill made it impossible to get an ambulance close to the scene. The parking space on the street also affected the amount of time it takes an ambulance to get to the hospital. The only good thing the Dove house had was the amount of space. Inside the house there was enough space to seat hundreds. The survivors stayed warm. The setting of the crash was what made the book interesting.
Theme:
The most apparent theme in this book was that nobody can be invincible. During the ride to the airport, a plane crash was not on anyone's mind. Even when everyone was on the plane, nobody thought anything bad would happen. After the crash, the people in the Dove house thought it was all fake. At the airport when the families got the news, everyone thought the employees were lying. The whole entire book was people doubting reality. Nobody wanted to realize that we are in danger every day.
Recommendation:
This book was not the best ever written. There was a jumping around from person to person that made the whole thing confusing. Kids around the age of 15 would probably be able to follow the story line. This book was not gender specific. The only thing taken away from this book is the most useless people still have a purpose. Looking back the book was not worth the time it took to read.
October 22, 2021
Got this out of the free mass market paperback bin at the library. I stayed up late finishing it, so it must have been good!
Really enjoyed the timestamps and switching between characters; made everything more exciting and high stakes. Loved reading about how each character handled the tragedy-especially Heidi and Patrick as they worked out their game plans. Some dated words/references, but held up well for a 30 year old book. Hated that spoiled rich girl and wish she got her comeuppance, but I suppose that part was pretty realistic.
Really enjoyed the timestamps and switching between characters; made everything more exciting and high stakes. Loved reading about how each character handled the tragedy-especially Heidi and Patrick as they worked out their game plans. Some dated words/references, but held up well for a 30 year old book. Hated that spoiled rich girl and wish she got her comeuppance, but I suppose that part was pretty realistic.
March 17, 2014
“Flight #116 is Down” by Caroline B. Cooney is about a plane that crashes up in the hills near a small town. This small town didn’t have a rescue crew or firefighters. They had mainly young volunteers who were somewhat trained. They had never been in a situation like this one before and many of them had no idea what to do. The plane crashed in a ravine, making it even harder to help the people. They had to carry everyone up the slippery hill one by one because they could not get a vehicle down there. Through this book there is an extreme amount of difficulties to be overcome.
It is very hard to pick a main character out of this book. There are so many different characters and they all play an important role in the rescue of the passengers. Heidi is a young girl who plays an important role in this because her parents are out of town, theres a plane in her backyard, and through the rescue efforts, all the people are placed in her house to get out of the elements.
The setting is the Dove House Mansion and all the events take place on a Saturday in modern times. The Dove House makes things very difficult because of the very narrow road you must take to get to it. This makes it very hard for the rescue vehicles to get through. The terrain around the Dove House also makes things difficult.
I think the theme would be to always find happiness when things aren't going so well. I say this because even though the plane had crashed some people stayed calm. Some of them found a way to be happy through the situation, and passengers who weren't badly injured helped those who were. Also, another theme would be kindness, because everyone in the small town seemed to be finding some way to help.
I think this book is good for ages 15 and up, male or female readers. This book has a lot of characters and it gets hard to follow them all, so you shouldn't read this if you don’t have a very good memory.
It is very hard to pick a main character out of this book. There are so many different characters and they all play an important role in the rescue of the passengers. Heidi is a young girl who plays an important role in this because her parents are out of town, theres a plane in her backyard, and through the rescue efforts, all the people are placed in her house to get out of the elements.
The setting is the Dove House Mansion and all the events take place on a Saturday in modern times. The Dove House makes things very difficult because of the very narrow road you must take to get to it. This makes it very hard for the rescue vehicles to get through. The terrain around the Dove House also makes things difficult.
I think the theme would be to always find happiness when things aren't going so well. I say this because even though the plane had crashed some people stayed calm. Some of them found a way to be happy through the situation, and passengers who weren't badly injured helped those who were. Also, another theme would be kindness, because everyone in the small town seemed to be finding some way to help.
I think this book is good for ages 15 and up, male or female readers. This book has a lot of characters and it gets hard to follow them all, so you shouldn't read this if you don’t have a very good memory.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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March 15, 2015A girl called Heidi Landseth is left home alone for a while whilst both her parents are in different countries for work reasons. One day a roaring sound fills the sky as a passenger jumbo jet crashes in her huge backyard. With the jet fuel leaking and sparks everywhere she is eager to evacuate the aircraft. However she realizes that the job is to big for one person (DUH) and calls 911. So when the emergency services arrive they are in a race against time to evacuate and send all victims to the hospital before and thing else becomes Disastrous. With all that done she then feels relief and is recruited to the 911 response team because of all her help. The theme for this book is sympathy and hope.
July 17, 2011
One of my favorite books in middle school!
March 12, 2015
I read this ages ago, but 1. I am intrigued by plane crashes, and 2. I enjoyed it when I was ~11 or so, so the 4-star rating is for nostalgia.
April 23, 2023
I read this book over and over in elementary school. Excited to have found a copy and it still held up, 25 plus years later.
March 21, 2019
Personal Response
I thought that the book Flight 116 is Down was confusing in the beginning because the book jumped around too much. The author was introducing characters in a way that was difficult for me to understand. That being said, I eventually started to understand the main characters, and the story became very clear. I loved all the action and foreshadowing. These things made me wanted to keep reading the book every day. The book was not too long for me; therefore, I did not lose interest.
Plot Summary
Heidi, a young girl lived with her parents in a very nice house. She thought nothing bad could happen. She was living the dream until one day disaster struck. A plane with hundreds of passengers made a desperate crash landing in her backyard. Therefore, she was forced to grow up and help all the innocent lives at stake. An EMT who has always dreamt of this moment realizes just how wrong he was. Now he was faced with bloody victims of the deadly crash whose lives were in his hands. Families and friends of the passengers hoped desperately that their loved ones were okay.
Characterization
Heidi was a young girl who had it made. She did not have to work for much because her parents were rich. After the terrible accident, she was forced to grow up and become more mature. Heidi had to help lots of people, including EMTs.
Patrick, an EMT, wished for a terrible accident to happen. Later in the book, he realized how wrong he was to wish pain, injury, or even death to a human being. Patrick realized he did \wrong. He did his best to help every patient he could, even if he had to risk his life.
Impact of setting
Flight 116 is Down mainly took place on a 747 plane and in Heidi's backyard. The whole book took place on a Saturday with an unknown year. This really shows the intensity of the book because all the action is packed in one day. Heidi's backyard was where the plane landed. Due to the immense hill that towered over the plane, the first responders struggled to get people to safety. Heidi's backyard was surrounded by a wall blocking ambulances from getting to the hospital.
Recommendation
People who love action would love this book because there was lots of action. People who like the medical field or would like to be a first responder would love this book. Anyone in high school could read this book because it was an easier read. Anyone who has been in a similar situation might relate to some characters and be more interested in the book. Both male and females would like this book because the two main characters are a boy and a girl
I thought that the book Flight 116 is Down was confusing in the beginning because the book jumped around too much. The author was introducing characters in a way that was difficult for me to understand. That being said, I eventually started to understand the main characters, and the story became very clear. I loved all the action and foreshadowing. These things made me wanted to keep reading the book every day. The book was not too long for me; therefore, I did not lose interest.
Plot Summary
Heidi, a young girl lived with her parents in a very nice house. She thought nothing bad could happen. She was living the dream until one day disaster struck. A plane with hundreds of passengers made a desperate crash landing in her backyard. Therefore, she was forced to grow up and help all the innocent lives at stake. An EMT who has always dreamt of this moment realizes just how wrong he was. Now he was faced with bloody victims of the deadly crash whose lives were in his hands. Families and friends of the passengers hoped desperately that their loved ones were okay.
Characterization
Heidi was a young girl who had it made. She did not have to work for much because her parents were rich. After the terrible accident, she was forced to grow up and become more mature. Heidi had to help lots of people, including EMTs.
Patrick, an EMT, wished for a terrible accident to happen. Later in the book, he realized how wrong he was to wish pain, injury, or even death to a human being. Patrick realized he did \wrong. He did his best to help every patient he could, even if he had to risk his life.
Impact of setting
Flight 116 is Down mainly took place on a 747 plane and in Heidi's backyard. The whole book took place on a Saturday with an unknown year. This really shows the intensity of the book because all the action is packed in one day. Heidi's backyard was where the plane landed. Due to the immense hill that towered over the plane, the first responders struggled to get people to safety. Heidi's backyard was surrounded by a wall blocking ambulances from getting to the hospital.
Recommendation
People who love action would love this book because there was lots of action. People who like the medical field or would like to be a first responder would love this book. Anyone in high school could read this book because it was an easier read. Anyone who has been in a similar situation might relate to some characters and be more interested in the book. Both male and females would like this book because the two main characters are a boy and a girl
September 13, 2024
I read this book as a grade schooler, and I hardly remembered it so I decided to read it again now, as a mom. Reader, I SOBBED. Throughout the whole book and for a good few minutes afterward. Caroline B. Cooney took a huge disaster scenario and zoomed in and brought it to life through so many different characters that you immediately became attached to. Amazing.
July 27, 2022
This was an amazing read. Really makes you think about how you'd handle something like this and how much goes into the rescue.
October 15, 2020
Onvan : Flight #116 Is Down! - Nevisande : Caroline B. Cooney - ISBN : 0590444794 - ISBN13 : 9780590444798 - Dar 208 Safhe - Saal e Chap : 1992
November 20, 2024
I remember this book SO vividly when I was younger. I think I read it in intermediate and it was my favourite for a while. Can’t remember much now but liked the different point of views and how they all intercepted w throughout the night
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March 2, 2020I read this book as a kid, so it'll be interesting to reread it as an adult because I remember loving it, though I could never find it again because I didn't remember the title.
October 14, 2014
I thought “Flight #116 Is Down”, was a good book. It is about multiple characters who are affected by a plane crash. The book is written like journal entries from each character. The plane crashes behind a girl named Heidi’s house. Patrick is the first one on the scene of the crash, he immediately calls for help and begins to transport the passengers up to Heidi’s house. The adults that are responding to the crash look down on Heidi and Patrick because they are kids, and they think they won't be any help, but they end up saving many lives.
Patrick is one of the main characters in this book. He is a high school senior who is also an EMT. He gets to leave school when he gets a call because the town where he lives is so small. He is one of the first responders on the crash site.
Heidi is also in high school and attends the same school as Patrick. She is the one who calls 911 when she sees the plane in her backyard. She immediately starts to help passengers and opens her home for all the injured.
The time is present day during the winter. This makes the plane crash much worse because there is a big hill they have to climb to get from the crash up to Heidi’s house. The setting is outside a rural town close to Heidi’s house. Heidi lives in a very large house but the driveway is only one car wide so there is a big traffic jam of emergency vehicles that Patrick needs to fix.
The theme of the book is to always keep going. Patrick and Heidi felt worthless because the adults talked down to them and told them to keep out of the way. They didn't let that stop them, and they kept helping and made saving all the passengers they could a lot easier. The passengers on the plane who were trapped in the wreckage never gave up. They kept waiting and holding on to their life until the emergency responders could get to them.
I would recommend this book to young adults, any gender, around the age of 16. It is a fairly easy book to read and has an interesting story and message. 4 out of 5 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 10, 2012
High School senior Patrick longs to put his training as an EMT to real use and sophomore Heidi longs for friends and to be useful in life. They both get their wish when a 747 crash lands onto Heidi's parent's estate outside of New York City. Her parents are out of town again and Heidi is first on the scene...she puts her well-focused instincts into high gear as she awaits rescue teams.
As the grisly night wears on with an icy rain and a foreboding nightfall, Heidi and Patrick give strength to one another as the horrific scenes plays out. Each of them, along with hundreds of other emergency workers, tends to the needs of the injured, dying, and dead. They both find a satisfaction in the way they assisted to the needs of strangers and a budding love in the making.
Flight #116 is a fast-paced, sit-on-the-edge of your seat story of survival, friendship, and emotional turmoil...as the crisis of a plane disaster brings out the very best, along with the very worst of human reaction. A great book for reluctant readers.
As the grisly night wears on with an icy rain and a foreboding nightfall, Heidi and Patrick give strength to one another as the horrific scenes plays out. Each of them, along with hundreds of other emergency workers, tends to the needs of the injured, dying, and dead. They both find a satisfaction in the way they assisted to the needs of strangers and a budding love in the making.
Flight #116 is a fast-paced, sit-on-the-edge of your seat story of survival, friendship, and emotional turmoil...as the crisis of a plane disaster brings out the very best, along with the very worst of human reaction. A great book for reluctant readers.
June 17, 2024
Flight 116 Is Down is a fictional delve into a timeline of events before, during, and immediately after a plane crash from multiple perspectives.
From the young volunteer firefighters and EMTs hoping for excitement who are teenagers, just finding themselves to the young girl whose house the plane crashes into, the passengers on the plane, some surviving, and some passing away to the journalists, news, media, and reporters, each event paints a detailed pivotal, honest, and unforeseen portrait of what those who have lived through an actual plane crash would most likely experience.
Having read this book in elementary school in the mid 1990s, my simultaneous fascination / fear of flying have since been nourished.
From the young volunteer firefighters and EMTs hoping for excitement who are teenagers, just finding themselves to the young girl whose house the plane crashes into, the passengers on the plane, some surviving, and some passing away to the journalists, news, media, and reporters, each event paints a detailed pivotal, honest, and unforeseen portrait of what those who have lived through an actual plane crash would most likely experience.
Having read this book in elementary school in the mid 1990s, my simultaneous fascination / fear of flying have since been nourished.
November 26, 2017
I have a middle schooler and downloaded this book for her, then forgot it was in that youth category and read it. I kept reading all the character descriptions and lead-ins to the crash, hoping it would finally get there. Well, it did. And how. I loved the characters of Heidi and Patrick. They kept my attention throughout, as did little Teddie and Carly. The scene was so well described that I shivered for them and wanted to help carry blankets and stretchers. I may not tell my kiddo about this book for a year or so as she's pretty sensitive and could use a little more maturity, but when she's ready I think she'll be enthralled with it.
June 23, 2010
I read this story as a child and later as an adult, and I enjoyed it both times. The book is about a teenage girl, Heidi, whose parents leave at home alone for the weekend while they take a trip. While they are gone an airplane crashes in their backyard! Heidi must decide whether or not she can face her fears and even death to save complete strangers. Through her experiences she learns about her own capabilities as well as how precious life is. I thought this story was suspenseful and thrilling. A fun read for anyone.
November 2, 2012
Although flight #116 took me about one month to read, when I was reading it, it seemed as if the book was flying by. The book did start off a little slow for my liking but the tempo picked up right after the plane crash. The two main characters are well developed, and continue to develop throughout the book. Most of the other characters were well developed as well. The author really brought you into the story. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys drama and an upbeat tempo to their book.
March 29, 2024
We are never truly prepared for such a disaster. Be it physical resources for the paramedics and hospitals but also human resource.
I wish I got more of Heidi's backstory. She feels so inadequate but I'd understand especially since her parents didn't believe in her. Patrick on the other end wanted to grow up fast. We have other characters looking forward to arriving at their destinations to meet with family, to apologise and reunite...
This book has so much lessons... It is quite fast paced, mild gore, sad bits, and leaves a lot of questions at the end.
I wish I got more of Heidi's backstory. She feels so inadequate but I'd understand especially since her parents didn't believe in her. Patrick on the other end wanted to grow up fast. We have other characters looking forward to arriving at their destinations to meet with family, to apologise and reunite...
This book has so much lessons... It is quite fast paced, mild gore, sad bits, and leaves a lot of questions at the end.
September 21, 2014
8/9/14
pg1-26
In the first two chapters are very boring because it was just tell the reader about the setting. But it was also quiet interesting because there are many perspective to it.
14/9/14
pg27-50
There are more people in the story now. It's getting confusion. I want the plane to crash already.
21/9/14
Pg51-66
How the author describe the crash site is so good. I could see it, but the sentence has so many words in it so it was confusing.
pg1-26
In the first two chapters are very boring because it was just tell the reader about the setting. But it was also quiet interesting because there are many perspective to it.
14/9/14
pg27-50
There are more people in the story now. It's getting confusion. I want the plane to crash already.
21/9/14
Pg51-66
How the author describe the crash site is so good. I could see it, but the sentence has so many words in it so it was confusing.
January 21, 2012
This book was good but you would get lost and confused during it. The author switch pint of views witch was creative but you would get lost with whose view the author was telling. I read this book for school and I wouldn't have grabbed it off one of the shelf's at the book store. Although if it wasn't confusing then I would of gave it 5 stars because it was a good book.
January 13, 2020
What if a 747 crashed into your yard?
The different perspectives were easily followed. One young paramedic gets his dream of being able to help in a big emergency come true in the most unexpected and violent way. A teenage girl living in a big mansion finds her inner strength. A compelling story of life, loss and bravery.
The different perspectives were easily followed. One young paramedic gets his dream of being able to help in a big emergency come true in the most unexpected and violent way. A teenage girl living in a big mansion finds her inner strength. A compelling story of life, loss and bravery.
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