CCBC Booklists

CCBC booklist are compiled from books we have recommended in various editions of CCBC Choices. Most of these booklists are updated annually. You can also select books from one or more booklists to create a custom list, which can also include additional books from the CCBC-Recommended Book Search.

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The Fearless Flights of Hazel Ying Lee

by Julie Leung

CCBC Review:

Hazel Ying Lee was a fearless girl who dreamed of flying, even though there were sparse opportunities for women and for Chinese Americans. As a young woman, she put herself through flight school by working as an elevator operator, and once World War II broke out she enlisted as a Women Airforce Service Pilot (WASP). While women weren’t allowed to fly planes in war zones, they did do critical work testing newly built planes fresh off the assembly line, reporting any defects. Among the WASPs, Hazel was one of the best, serving as one of just 132 women who could fly the super-fast planes. Unfortunately, before the war ended, a miscommunication from the control tower led to a two-plane crash, and Lee was killed. Her family then fought to get her buried in a whites-only cemetery, even appealing to President Roosevelt. This well-researched picture-book biography has a clear, straightforward narrative, but the illustrations are the real standout, depicting Hazel as a child and as a woman with so much character, in addition to showing sweeping vistas of her in flight. ©2022 Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Illustrated by Julie Kwon

CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 7-9
Age Range: PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7) Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Formats: Biography, Autobiography and Memoir Picture book
Subjects: 20th Century Asian Americans Biography Chinese and Chinese Americans Flight/Aviation Girls and Women Racism World War II
Diversity subject: Asian
On CCBC Booklist: Asian in America: Selected Books for PreK-Grade 12 to Support Hmong and Asian American Studies in Wisconsin

Publisher: Little, Brown
Publish Year: 2021
Pages: 48
ISBN: 9780759554955
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 920 Lee

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