Sheroes

Night Witches: A Novel of World War Two by Kathryn Lasky

"I am a daughter. I am a pilot. I am the Nazis worst fear. I am a Night Witch."

They were known as Nachthexen, young female aviators recruited by Stalin's military to destroy specific German targets behind enemy lines. In small wood and canvas biplanes they conducted bombing missions against Nazi military from 1942 until the conclusion of World War II. These aircraft were so small that they could only deliver six bombs per run with about eight missions per night. Under cover of darkness the bombers would idle the biplane’s engine near the target and glide down to a release point.  These planes emitted a soft wind-like noise. This whooshing sound was similar to the sound of broomsticks traveling through the skies. Hence the name Nachthexen, or Night Witches.

There were no more than two crew members per flight. Usually the pilots carried no parachute. These young aviators flew over 24,000 missions and dropped 23,000 tons of bombs. The skill, daring, and heroism of these young women in their teens and early twenties is awe-inspiring.  

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Kathryn Lasky brings the story of these incredible young women to life in the historical novel Night Witches: A Novel of World War Two. At an early age, both Valya and her older sister Tatyana were taught by to fly by their father, head of a flight training program near Stalingrad. Flying was bred into her bones. "To fly is to slip the cords of earth and join the sky." When the Germans invaded Russia, her familiar life is gone: her father is declared missing and her grandmother dead. Tatyana volunteers to join the Russian female aviation regiment. Then Valya's world completely shatters when she witnesses her mother's death at the hands of a sniper.
With nothing left and very little hope, Valya becomes determined to find her sister and to join her "Up there...In the sky, with them. With the witches and my sister." She receives help from an unlikely source and manages to find her way to Tatyana's regiment. Over time Valya proves herself to her superiors and becomes a valuable asset in this military operation.​

Lasky describes the bombing missions with breath-taking detail. The terror of each night run is vivid. Readers will feel as if they are in the cockpit with Valya, dodging Nazi searchlights and escaping enemy fire.  When her plane crashes she finds herself in danger from Hitler's spies and must plan a daring escape. ​

​Grab a ushanka, don a fur-lined flight jacket and prepare for a thrilling ride through a little-known piece of history.
Once you start reading Valya’s story, you won't be able to put this down until the final page.