Kenneth Oppel

Handsome new editions celebrate the 10th anniversary of the award-winning aerial adventure that started it all. Winner of the Governor General's Award, a Michael L. Printz Honor Book, and recipient of many other national and international honours, Airborn fired the imaginations of readers around the world when it was first published in 2004 and its popularity has never waned. Airborn was followed by the acclaimed sequels Skybreaker, winner of the Red Maple Award and the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award, and Starclimber, a Canadian Library Association Children's Book of the Year Award Honour Book. These stunning new editions with cover illustrations by Jim Tierney mark a new decade of soaring adventures for this trio of contemporary classics.

Airborn

Matt, a young cabin boy aboard an airship, and Kate, a wealthy young girl traveling with her chaperone, team up to search for the existence of mysterious winged creatures reportedly living hundreds of feet above the Earth's surface.

Christine

I mostly loved it, especially the airships (I wish they were real though) but for some reason Kate and Matt were............ pretty stereotypical.............
Chief Vlad was amazing though

David Sheley

Airborn was an unexpected delight! It turns out that this story takes place on an alternate Earth that is borderline steampunk in nature. I don't think everyone runs around wearing goggles, knee-high boots, and trench coats with one thousand buckles, but they have airships. I love airships!

Airborn is about a boy, Matt Cruse, who lives on an airship. His father used to be a member of the ship's crew, but he has since passed away. His mother and sister live in a small apartment back at "home," while Matt earns money as a cabin boy. Since young Matt is now the man of the house, he works hard to send money back to his mother and sister.

During a voyage, Matt's airship is attacked by pirates, yes air pirates, just like in Disney's Tailspin or Treasure Planet! Except these pirates mean business! The attack leaves the airship damaged and forces it to land on an uncharted island, making rescue seem unlikely. Of course, there's a girl on board, and she and Matt make a startling discovery on the island - something that if they ever make it home will change the course of their lives forever.

That's about all I want to tell you about this story because I want you to go find the audiobook and listen to it immediately (I found it on Libby: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/libby-b...)! Look for the version that says it is read by David Kelly and the Full Cast Family. This edition of the story was so much fun to listen to! The full cast did such a great job! It was just like listening to a radio drama. The story is a grand adventure, with a hint of romance, and did I mention air pirates?!

I can safely say that this story can be enjoyed by a wide range of ages. I don't believe you will find much of anything in the story that is objectionable. Oh, and this is book one in a three-book series, so the adventure doesn't stop here.

OK, bookmark this page, grab your phone/tablet, pull up Libby and borrow this book now. No really, it's OK. I'll wait right here while you do that.

PS. I just discovered that the library system here in Oklahoma City has books 2 and 3 available on audiobook (also with the full cast)!

Frank Huang

Chloe Shaw

Sidak Singh Kalra

Abhimat Gautam

Claire Durand

Tim Pennington-Russell

Briar Rose

Liam Dunn Kelly

Enter a past in which airplanes have never been invented, giant airships rule the skies and the glittering skyscrapers of Lionsgate City, Canada’s greatest metropolis, rise near the Pacificus Ocean. When Matt Cruse, cabin boy on the luxury airship Aurora, fearlessly performs a dramatic rescue to save an old man from his damaged hot air balloon, he doesn’t know what events he’s setting in motion. Will he and the balloonist’s fiery granddaughter, Kate de Vries, be able to solve the mystery of impossible flying creatures seen among the clouds? And will they figure it out before pirates and shipwreck end their voyage forever? Winner of the Governor General’s Award for Children’s Literature and many other national and international honours, Kenneth Oppel’s tale of aerial adventure has fired the imaginations of readers around the world. An instant classic!

Airborn

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