''Race Through the Skies: The Week the World Learned to Fly'' is a 2020 non-fiction children's book by the American writer and historian

Martin W. Sandler Martin W. Sandler (born February 11, 1933) is an American historian, writer and teacher, the author of more than 50 books about American history and photography. Notable works include ''Secret Subway'' (2009), ''The Impossible Rescue'' (2012), ''I ...

. The book focuses on a single week in August 1908 that "introduced aviation to the world", the week of an early air show and competition in

Reims Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, and the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 12th most populous city in Fran ...

. Like Sandler's other books, ''Race Through the Skies'' includes contemporary photographs, newspaper clippings, and posters alongside the text, as well as detailed information about key characters in the book, including the

Wright brothers The Wright brothers, Orville Wright (August 19, 1871 – January 30, 1948) and Wilbur Wright (April 16, 1867 – May 30, 1912), were American aviation List of aviation pioneers, pioneers generally credited with inventing, building, and flyin ...

Glenn Curtiss Glenn Hammond Curtiss (May 21, 1878 – July 23, 1930) was an American aviation and motorcycling pioneer, and a founder of the U.S. aircraft industry. He began his career as a bicycle racer and builder before moving on to motorcycles. As early a ...

Jorge Chávez Georges Antoine Chavez (January 13, 1887 – September 27, 1910), also known as Jorge Chávez or Géo Chavez, was a Peruvian aviator. At a young age, he achieved fame for his aeronautical feats. He died in 1910 after a heavy wind broke the w ...

, and

Louis Blériot Louis Charles Joseph Blériot ( , also , ; 1 July 1872 – 1 August 1936) was a French aviator, inventor, and engineer. He developed the first practical headlamp for cars and established a profitable business manufacturing them, using much of t ...

. ''Race Through the Skies'' was generally well received by critics with some criticisms. ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'' described it "fascinating, eminently entertaining, and sometimes frustrating"; they highlighted how "the races are presented in thrilling detail and clearly placed in the context of the history of early aviation". ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' indicated that "the firsthand accounts ... will enthrall young aviation enthusiasts". ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, wi ...

'' Bob Hassett similarly wrote, "This captivating nonfiction read will appeal to anyone interested in the history of flight, inventions, or thrill sports". However, ''Publishers'' found that the book's use of "sophisticated text and French terminology, some of which is untranslated, may make this a challenging read". ''Kirkus Reviews'' similarly discussed how, "in the midst of excellence, numerous additional topics, all about two pages long, are wedged in, nearly always interrupting the narrative midsentence," which they describe as "an annoying design flaw in this otherwise fine work". ''Race Through the Skies'' is a

Junior Library Guild Junior Library Guild, formerly the Junior Literary Guild, is a commercial Book sales club, book club devoted to juvenile literature. It was created in 1929 as one of the enterprises of the Literary Guild, an adult book club created in 1927 by Samue ...

book and was nominated for the 2021

YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction The YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction, established in 2010, is an annual literary award presented by the Young Adult Library Services Association of the American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonpro ...

References

{{Reflist 2020 children's books 2020 non-fiction books Bloomsbury Publishing books