Lady Icarus: Balloonmania and the Brief, Bold Life of Sophie Blanchard

This eye-opening account with more than 50 b&w photographs unveils the “life and times” of Sophie Blanchard (1778–1819), “a shy daughter of peasants” who would become “the world’s first professional woman pilot.” Recounting both the highs of Blanchard’s life—joy in flying solo, and appointment as “Aeronaut of the Official Festivals” by Napoléon—and the lows, including her mentor-husband’s death and her own fiery final flight, Noyes dramatically relays information in dialogue-studded text. Inset boxes provide historical, social, and political context, such as natural phenomena and the concepts behind air ballooning. Noyes adopts a dramatic tone to relay a well-rounded portrayal of one of the earliest female fliers, against the absorbing, painstakingly sketched background of the period’s balloonmania. Back matter includes an afterword, timeline, and bibliography. Ages 8–12. (Mar.)