by Rinker Buck
First published 1998
Rinker Buck is fifteen years old when he and his seventeen-year-old brother Kern climb into a worn Piper Cub in the summer of 1966. Their plan is audacious: fly from the East Coast to California and become the youngest pilots ever to cross the continent. The plane has just four cylinders and decades of wear. The boys have more enthusiasm than experience. As they navigate weather, mechanical problems, and their own limitations, the brothers must rely on each other and their shared determination. The flight becomes more than a record attempt. It transforms into a test of courage, family bonds, and the power of dreams to carry two young men across a vast country. Buck chronicles every mile of their aerial odyssey with vivid detail and emotional honesty.
Genres: biography, adventure, coming-of-age, aviation
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, family-drama, overcoming-limitations
Setting: East Coast, California
Period: 1966
Paperback · btb