Flight Risk

June 26, 2017
Debut author Fenn tells a multilayered story of identity, ambition, and societal expectations as she chronicles the misadventures of Robert Jackson Kelley, who becomes known as the Lollipop Kid after he steals and crashes three private airplanes. Through newspaper articles, interviews, discipline records, and flashbacks, Fenn fleshes out Robert’s history as a juvenile delinquent from a broken home, detailing his obsession with flight simulators and yearning to escape the small Washington State island he calls home. Sent to a youth home after a drug bust, Robert eventually escapes and steals the first of several planes, an act that turns him into a local legend, makes him the subject of a widespread manhunt, and inadvertently gives rise to a minor pop culture movement. Inspired by the true story of the so-called Barefoot Bandit, this story moves slowly but steadily through the years, building a larger-than-life aura around Robert. However, for all the focus on him, he remains something of an enigma in his own narrative. Ages 12–up. Agent: Amy Tipton, Signature Literary.

May 1, 2017
A teenage boy with attention issues tries to escape his small town in Washington by stealing and crashing small planes from local airfields.Readers meet 18-year-old Robert Jackson Kelley on his final flight, after he's stolen, flown, and crash-landed a series of planes in the small vacation town of Yannatok before being apprehended by local police and sentenced to 10 years in a maximum security prison. In faux-documentary style, Fenn constructs a thorough if somewhat sluggish chronicle of Robert's childhood and adolescence, detailing the mental, physical, and societal factors that led to his unusual crime spree. These include ADHD issues, a single working mom who pays scant attention to him, a father in prison, and a spotty school record. That none of these factors is race combines with absence of markers to imply a white default. Robert's story, based on the real-life exploits of teen plane thief Colton Harris-Moore, is relayed in a crisp, journalistic style, peppered with fictional interviews, talk-show transcripts, and newspaper articles. Though the package promises a pacey thriller, Robert doesn't crash his first plane until almost 200 pages in, which may cause some readers to give up before the exciting third act, which is rife with police chases, vacation-home burglaries, and, of course, plane crashes. Too much time on the tarmac, not enough time in the air. (Fiction. 12-18)

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June 1, 2017

Gr 9 Up-A debut novel inspired by true events. Robert Jackson Kelley idolizes his fugitive father, Robert Kelley Senior. He is proud of his dad's accomplishments as an Operation Desert Storm war hero. Robert spends most of his time with his beloved beagle mix, Hulk, and his flight simulator. He is a poor student and, with the exception of Joey Kovach, has few friends. Robert wants to leave his trailer park home to become an air force pilot, but his aspirations go awry when he and Joey are expelled from high school for selling Robert's mother Deb's Adderall pills. Right before Robert is transferred to Sea Brook Youth Home, Deb blurts out a huge revelation about Robert Senior's checkered past. Robert escapes and hides out in unlocked homes, steals and crashes three planes, walks away unscathed, and is labeled a juvenile delinquent and a criminal mastermind by the media. The teen becomes a folk hero nicknamed the Lollipop Kid, with a rock song dedicated to him. Fenn deftly portrays Robert and Deb as ordinary working-class citizens. Robert's story is told through multiple points of view and documentary sources. Fenn pulls readers in with her coverage of three decades of American political and social issues. There are numerous references to the 2016 election and the Trump administration: the book focuses on the working class, uses the term flight risk to reference the Muslim travel ban, includes a Megyn Kelly-esque talk show host character, and describes Canada as a fugitive refuge. VERDICT Teens will love the documentary-style narrative and will root for underdog antihero Robert.-Donald Peebles, Brooklyn Public Library

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2017
Grades 9-12 Fenn's ambitious debut novel is part oral history, part tall tale, and part suspense story, At the center of the interviews, news reports, and articles scattered throughout the narrative is Robert Jackson Kelley, 17, who has never been able to focus on anything except his flight simulator and finally escaping small, sheltered Yannatok Island, Washington. After sneaking away from a mandated wilderness therapy program, Robert steals his first plane only to crash it, like so many of his simulations. He leaves behind a few candies that were in his pocket, leading admirers and opponents alike to dub him the Lollipop Kid. The novel's successful suspense elements lie not just in the anticipation of what Robert will do (or which plane he will steal) next, but also in trying to separate the real Robert Jackson Kelley from the mythic Lollipop Kid. Inspired by real events (the life of Colton Harris-Moore, aka the Barefoot Bandit), Fenn has penned an original, thrilling tale with wide appeal, including for older reluctant readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2018
Eighteen-year-old Robert Jackson Kelley steals and crashes his third plane and remains nearly unhurt. Based on the real-life story of young Colton Harris-Moore, who committed similar crimes, Fenn's debut novel is told through multiple points of view, as well as through documents such as interviews and official records. Though slow to develop, the story ends with plenty of excitement.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)