Flight from Big Tangle

Sylvia Pantaleo is an associate professor of education, specializing in
children’s literature, at the University of Victoria. She is the
coauthor of Learning with Literature in the Canadian Elementary
Classroom.

Ten-year-old Kaylee’s life has changed drastically during the past
year. She used to have two parents who were pilots, and lived part of
the year in St. Lucia and the other part in Canada, in the remote
community of Booker Bay. Tragically, her father’s plane disappeared
one stormy night in the Caribbean and his body was never recovered. She
and her mother now live in Booker Bay year-round. Kaylee believes that
her father is still alive, and she is angry with her mother for not
returning to St. Lucia to continue the search for him.

Kaylee used to hike with her father in the nearby woods known as “Big
Tangle,” but now she explores the area with her dog, Sausage. One day
when Kaylee’s mother is flying her water bomber in order to fight a
fire in the area, Kaylee becomes disoriented while hiking in Big Tangle.
Unbeknownst to Kaylee, a wildfire is very close to her and Booker Bay.
In order to save herself and her neighbor, Kaylee must overcome her fear
of flying and pilot her mother’s floatplane. As she meets this
personal challenge, she senses her father’s presence and accepts his
death.

Kaylee is a realistic character who experiences personal growth and a
range of emotions throughout the novel. The well-paced plot maintains
reader interest. Recommended.