MARVELOUS MIDDLE GRADE MONDAY
Flexible Wings
bzy Veda Ramsay-Stamps
Veda Stamps' debut novel,“Flexible Wings,” is the story of eleven year old Summer
Stevenson who's dealing with life as a "military brat." Summer and
her younger sister Emiko have constantly been uprooted and relocated as their Navy
parents moved from one duty station to another. Along the way they’ve all had
to make a lot of adjustments.
It has been difficult for the sisters, having to make new friends and go to new
schools. They’ve also had to cope with frequent, long separations when their
parents were on deployments. Summer’s parents have been described as “heroes.” But
what Summer wants is a normal life, a chance to belong to a swim team and make
friends that she won’t have to leave in a year or two. In addition to constant
change and uprooting, Summer has a mixed race heritage, so she encounters
racism and bullying.
The family’s most recent move to Valencia sees the father out of the service and starting his civilian career. Summer finally joins
a swim team, gains some new skills, and works toward her dream. However, Summer’s
mother is still in the service and is on deployment most of the time that
Summer competes with her new swim team. This summer is an important growth period for
Summer. She gains a deeper understanding about herself, her family, friendship, and
striving toward your goals.
This novel, though longer than most middle grade stories,
provides insight into the life of the military child. Most civilians have
little understanding of what military life is like, especially for military
children. This book tells one girl’s and one family’s experience with uprooting
and readjusting. It shows their day to day struggles, fears, and worries. It
helps us on the outside to see what life is like serving in the military. We see first hand the kinds of sacrifices made by those who protect and serve in the military. “Flexible Wings” is highly recommended
for children ages 9 to 11.
Information on author Veda Stamps is at http://www.vedastamps.com/
Reviewed by:
Penelope Anne Cole, Award winning author of
Magical Matthew,
Magical Mea, Magical Mea Goes to School,
Magical Max and
Magical Mickey, and Ten Little
Tricksters.
Tags:
Flexible Wings, Hummingbirds, Veda Stamps, Summer Stevenson, Emiko, swim team, military family, service members, deployment, family life, separation, learning, growing, friendship, parents, service, heroes, military life.
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