The Wright Brothers At Kitty Hawk
Author: Donald J. Sobel
Page Length: 128
Reading Level: 5
Genre: Biography
PLOT SUMMARY: William and Orville Wright make their first trip to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in 1900 to begin their quest to be the first men to fly an airplane. In that first trip, they glide for nine minutes and three feet off the ground. They have a bicycle business that prospers during the fall and winter, so they must return home until the next spring. In 1901, their second trip to Kitty Hawk is plagued with mosquito attacks and they manage to get only 25 feet off the ground. They return home to the bicycle business discouraged, wondering if they should pursue their dreams. Encouraged by Octave Chanute, they research tables for wind tunnels, devise a rudder on the tail, and develop a motor and propellers. They attempt a fourth trip in 1903 to try and be the first men to fly in an airplane.
REVIEW: This seems to be a very accurate, detailed account of the events that precluded the successful flight of the Wright Brothers on December 17, 1903. It would be excellent for teaching supporting details and sequence of events. Since it is a non-fiction with specific math and science measurements and studies, I believe boys would enjoy this book more than girls.
AREAS OF TEACHING: Similes (p. 12, 26, 37), Setting, Sequence, Historical Context, and Supporting Details
RELATED BOOKS: William and Orville Wright: The Story of the Wright Brothers, Sky Pioneers: The Story of the Wright Brothers, William and Orville Wright (Children of History)
MOVIE CONNECTIONS: Wright Brothers: First in Flight (1904)
RELATED WEBSITES:
www.bookwizard.scholastic.com/tbw/viewWorkDetail.do/workId/725
www.content.scholastic.com/browse/search?query=The+Wright+Brothers&x=0&y=0
www.hmkaleidoscope.com/pdf/flight1.pdf
www.waldsfe.org/UnitStudies/Aviation.htm
www.scifiles.larc.nasa.gov/docs/guides/guide2_01.pdf
REVIEWED BY: Shirley Wagner
The Book Reviews - Website 