The little plane has been flying across the sea for eight hours. Huge black clouds surround it. Rain pours in. Wind slams. The aircraft is tossed around like a leaf. The pilot stares into the darkness. How much fuel is left? Is she flying in the right direction? How long till she reaches land? In 1934, Jean Batten set a world record for the fastest flight from England to Australia. Just two years later, she made the first-ever solo flight from England to New Zealand. Jean's fearless determination and flying skills helped her survive storms and crashes, as she crossed great oceans and lonely deserts in her tiny plane. This gripping true story with its dazzling illustrations is the third from the award-winning creators of the picture books First to the Top and Speed King.

 

There are 32 pages in this book. This book was published 2017 by Penguin Group (NZ) .

David Hill, born in 1942, is a versatile journalist, reviewer, fiction writer, playwright and children's writer. Born and educated in Napier and a graduate of Victoria University, he spent 14 years secondary school teaching before writing full-time. He has contributed stories, articles, reviews and plays to newspapers, radio and most New Zealand journals, including Landfall, NZ Listener and School Journal, as well as overseas. He has written many books and in 2002 his novel See Ya Simon won the Children's Literature Association Gaelyn Gordon Award for a Much-Loved Book. David Hill is a reviewer, fiction writer, playwright, and children's writer. He spent 14 years teaching before writing full-time. His first young adult novel won the 1994 Times Educational Supplement Award for Special Needs. He won the 2002 Children's Literature Foundation Gaelyn Gordon Award for a Much-Loved Book, the 2003 LIANZA Esther Glen Medal, the 2013 NZ Post Junior Fiction Award, and the 2013 LIANZA Librarian's Choice Award. Phoebe Morris collaborated with David Hill on the picture book biography of Sir Edmund Hillary, First to the Top . Unanimously praised for the quality of the illustrations, it was named a 2017 Storylines Notable Picture Book. Phoebe is also the illustrator of the Frankie Potts Junior Fiction series by Juliet Jacka.