Author: Miriam Moss
Publication
Date: September 13th, 2016
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Genre: YA, Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction
Pages: 288
ISBN: 0544783999
Source: Publisher
Rating: 
Synopsis (from Godreads):
Bahrain, 1970. After a
summer spent with her family, fifteen-year-old Anna is flying back to boarding
school in England when her plane is hijacked by Palestinian terrorists and
taken to the Jordanian desert. Demands are issued. If they are not met, the
terrorists will blow up the plane, killing all hostages. The heat becomes
unbearable; food and water supplies dwindle. All alone, Anna begins to face the
possibility that she may never see her family again. Inspired by true events,
this is a story about real people facing horror with courage and resilience.
Amazon
| Goodreads
Miriam is an award
winning author of 75 children's books, both information books and fiction. Her
fiction includes picture books, novelty books and poetry, and recently short
stories for the adult market. Her books have been translated into over 20
languages.
Miriam has had wide
experience of working creatively both with children in schools and libraries,
and with adults. She offers lively, innovative large group performances, talks,
interactive storytelling sessions, readings, seminars, creative writing and
poetry workshops.
Fifteen year old Anna
Milton is on a plane that's taking her from her home on a little island in the
Persian Gulf to England, where she attends boarding school. Shortly after
taking off, the passengers discover that there are hijackers on the plane, and
they're all rerouted to a desert in Jordan. Hungry, thirsty, hot, and losing
hope, Anna worries the hijackers' demands won't be met within the three day time
limit, and that she and the other passengers won't make it back to England
alive.
I liked the suspense
that occurred all throughout the book. When I wasn't in tears (which I was,
more than once), I was right on the edge of my seat. Even though I had some
ideas from the beginning of what was going to happen, there were still times
when I found myself holding my breath. The story was about a life or death
situation, and I definitely felt the tension from that.
I think the characters
were both my favorite and least favorite part of the book. Least favorite,
because I feel that Anna was just a little too understanding of the people who
hijacked her plane, the people who were going to kill her. She's 15 and scared;
I think she should have been a bit angrier, and a bit less sympathetic. She was
almost unrealistically mature, I guess. Favorite, for three reasons. The first
is nine year old Tim and his pet terrapin, Fred. Tim is adorable, turtles are
adorable, and every scene involving the two was just absolutely sweet. Captain
Gregory is up next. He's not even a main character, but even so, I think he's
my second favorite, after Tim. His concern for his passengers is touching, and
I love that he manages to keep everyone (including himself) calm during the
hijacking. I admire his courage. And third, I thought the portrayal of some of
the hijackers was really great. The way they're written makes them seem very
human, despite the fact that they're the Bad Guys.
One thing I was a
little disappointed with was that David and Tim, the two boys who befriend Anna
on the plane, are kinda left out at the end of the book. I really wanted to
know what happened with them, or at least if they still kept in touch with
Anna. A mention of Fred the terrapin would have been nice as well.
All in all, Girl on a
Plane was a very fun book, and I’d recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a
quick and simple but exciting read.
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