Spitfire

Mary St. Onge-Davidson is president of the Essential English Centre in
Ottawa.

This fast-paced story, set during World War II, is about 11-year-old
Kathryn Lockhart, who lives in Whitfield, Ontario. Kathryn wants to
compete in the annual “boys only” soapbox derby, so she builds her
own racing car and signs up for the race amidst protests and threats of
sabotage. Can she win the race? Can she deal with her family’s own
prejudices? The outcome of Spitfire is well worth the read.

Ann Goldring’s intuitive writing style and excellent use of dialogue
will hold the reader’s attention from beginning to end. Goldring
captures the novel’s time and place by weaving into the story a
pattern of well-researched wartime experiences. As well, she begins each
chapter with an interesting excerpt from a local Ontario newspaper
published during the spring of 1943. One excerpt—an RCAF advertisement
from The Globe and Mail—at the beginning of Chapter 8, particularly
embodies the spirit of the story: “These are jobs women can do and are
doing. Are you ready to don an RCAF uniform and let a young airman fly
and fight?” Indeed, young women have not only met that challenge but
have gone beyond, embodying the very spirit of the spitfire. Highly
recommended.