School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6-A spellbinding biography, adroitly told. Before Amelia Earhart there was Blanche Stuart Scott. She was a daredevil, looking to make a name for herself in the early 20th century. And so she did. In 1910 she drove from New York to San Francisco, with the press in tow. She was the first woman to fly in the U.S., first to make a long-distance flight, first woman test pilot, and so on. Several attempts were made on her life, including two by a misogynist airplane mechanic. In one stunt mishap, she broke 41 bones. After giving up flying, she worked in Hollywood as a writer, and ended up back in her New York home as a radio talk-show host. As Cummins makes clear, she was a fascinating trailblazer, and not just in flight. Archival photographs, many with chatty captions, further enhance the engaging text. A time line sums up Scott's long, amazing life. It's a mystery that there are no other books on this incredible woman. Since readers and browsers might not have heard of her, a booktalk might be in order to introduce this page-turning thriller.-Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Cummins's (Wings of an Artist) swiftly moving biography of this little-known female aviation pioneer may well thrill fans of both flying and firsts. At the turn of the century, most young women in Blanche Stuart Scott's place in society were relegated to genteel tea parties. Blanche, however, sought speed and thrills at age 13 in 1902, her father gave her an automobile in which she terrorized the streets of Rochester, N.Y. Cummins effectively conveys Blanche's impetuous character through her quotes and her deeds, from taking a job as an automobile saleswoman after college, to planning what she thought would be the first transcontinental driving trip by a woman (Alice Ramsey beat her to it), to becoming the first woman in America to fly a plane in public. Blanche would reach many milestones. She not only performed daring stunts in the big air shows (where she earned the nickname "Tomboy of the Air") but also starred in an early motion picture called The Aviator's Bride. Not everyone was supportive of her talents: she survived several attempts on her life by jealous competitors or critics convinced women should not fly. Several threads will particularly appeal to readers, such as Blanche's unwavering belief in her lucky red sweater. Through the life of this one woman, Cummins portrays an era of rapid change and society's view of a woman's place in it. Period black-and-white photos and prints enhance the narrative. Ages 8-14. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
(Intermediate, Middle School) Blanche Stuart Scott, a Mayflower descendent from Rochester, New York, could have been a carefree socialite-she was filthy rich-but she had too much pluck. She sold cars (the author speculates that she was the first woman to do so) when women weren't supposed to work outside the home, let alone drive. In 1910, she became the first woman to drive an automobile cross-country on her own; later that year, she became the first woman pilot in the United States. Her list of accomplishments is impressive-she became a renowned exhibition flyer, the first woman test pilot, and the first woman stunt flyer-but it's Scott's character that readers of this book will remember. With impervious bemusement, she endured rampant disapproval of her feminism, from hate mail and snubs (the Wright brothers wanted nothing to do with her) to the sabotage of her plane. This well-researched book is replete with Scott'sbreathless personal testimony and with spirited and effectively placed black-and-white photographs of the aviatrix in action. Cummins provides clear explanations of the technical aspects of aviation but otherwise adopts a playful style that the book's subject would have appreciated. Scott, as if winking her encouragement to women of her generation considering emulating her gender-transcendent ways, signed one of her souvenir photos, ""I really don't feel as ugly as I look."" (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
An entertaining and intelligent biography of a pioneering woman aviator. When Blanche Stuart Scott wrecked her seventh bicycle, her father swore he wouldn't buy her another one-so he bought her a Cadillac instead. The year was 1902 and Blanche was 13. Cummins (The Inside-Outside Book of Libraries, 1996, etc.) opens with this anecdote and goes on to spin the tale of a fiercely competitive-and virtually fearless-woman who first drove a car across the country and then went on to become the first woman in the US to fly an airplane. Billed as "The Tomboy of the Air," Scott flew with the best of the men in aerial circuses and was also intensely involved in the testing of the rapidly developing airplane technology. Illustrated with archival photos and sprinkled liberally with quotes from Scott's own (unpublished) memoir, this slim, efficient volume provides an overview of the early, almost lawless days of aviation, when crowds assembled at barnstorming events in the gruesome hopes of a crash or two. Throughout, Scott emerges as a woman not to be deterred from her goals, despite the nearly overwhelming social pressures to assume the conventional upper-class woman's role as wife and bridge-player. Thoroughly researched and solidly written, the simplicity of the text and the inviting format should appeal to middle-grade as well as older readers. (notes, chronology, bibliography, index) (Biography. 8-14)
Booklist Review
Gr. 3^-6. When Blanche Stuart Scott broke her seventh bike, she badgered her father to get her a car. He bought her a Cadillac, and she started driving at age 13. Scott soon gained a reputation as a daredevil: first driving cars, then flying airplanes. She began to fly solo in 1910 and is generally credited as the first American aviatrix. Despite both the general prejudice against women pilots and her increasing awareness of the dangers of stunt-flying, she continued to do aerobatics in air shows until 1916, when she sold her plane and retired from her active career in aviation. Cummins has found a little-known but intriguing figure to write about, one whose courage and determination led her to blaze trails for women while pleasing herself. The text is compact yet invitingly written and concentrates on Scott's years in aviation. Black-and-white period photos featuring planes and automobiles will draw in readers. Source notes, a chronology, and a bibliography round out this good-looking addition to biography shelves. Children interested in learning more about aviators may also want to read Jacqueline McLean's Women with Wings on p.1748. --Carolyn Phelan