Valkyrie Rising, A Nick Grant Adventure review by ...
Age Range - 12 and up
Genre - Historical Fiction
Five Star Award

LitPick Review

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Age at time of review - 16
Reviewer's Location - Lexington, MA, United States
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Nick Grant was working as an employee at Pan American Airways when he was part of a flight accident due to a problem with the flight's engine. Due to flight regulations by the CAA, Nick is unable to fly with Pan American Airways until he gets cleared from the CAA investigation of the accident. Luckily, he is spending the summer at Naval Aviation Cadet training and will get to fly there. However, when Nick reaches the training, it is not what he expects. Instead of getting to learn and fly, he is stuck doing kitchen duty at the training. However, one day Commander Boltz from the Navy pays him a visit. He tells Nick that they have reason to believe that Japanese operations (with German assistance) are attempting to steal the design and technical readout of the Sikorski S-42B (a state-of-the-art flying boat) from the British Marine Aircraft. Because it is believed that these Japanese operations were previously involved in American naval sabotage, it is important to stop them. Since Nick has previously encountered the leader of these operations, Miyazaki, he must go on this mission to help identify him. It should be an easy mission, but Nick finds himself tied up in a dangerous situation with Miyazaki. Will Nick be able to complete his mission and return home safely?

Opinion: 

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. I personally do not know much about aviation or the Navy, and I felt that this book taught me more about both. Particularly at the start of the story when Nick is training and taking classes at UC Berkley, I learned about what type of training and classes are used for aviation. However, because I did not know much about these topics previously, the first few chapters felt a little confusing in terms of new vocabulary that I did not know. As I continued to read the book, I got a better understanding of these topics.  The author did a great job of writing Nick's character.  Nick is exactly how I would imagine a pilot in the navy to be: daring, brave, and staying true to his values.  Another thing I liked about this book was the fast pacing. Even at the beginning of the book, the story progressed at a quick pace, which made the book more engaging. Additionally, I appreciated the suspenseful plot, and I enjoyed how the story took place in multiple settings such as California and the UK. One thing to note is that this book is part of a series and references characters and scenes that happened in other books, but can still be read as a stand-alone. Overall, I recommend this book, especially to readers who are interested in flights or government missions.

 

Rating:
5
Content Rating:

Content rating - some mature content

Explain your content rating: 

The book is good for ages 10+
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