NCSS and Penguin Random House Education: Spring Author Spotlight Event

By Colin Reublinger | May 4 2026 | General

Join us in conversation on Thursday, May 21st at 7:00 PM Eastern with award-winning author Sherri L. Smith to discuss her book American Wings: Chicago’s Pioneering Black Aviators and the Race for Equality in the Sky (co-authored with Elizabeth Wein; G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers), a thrilling and inspiring true story of the desegregation of the skies. Dr. Karen Burgard (Associate Professor, Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Texas A&M – San Antonio) will moderate.

Visit the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) website to register for this free virtual event.

 

 

Sherri L. Smith is not a pilot, but she makes an excellent passenger (unless it’s a very small plane). She is the author of numerous acclaimed fiction and nonfiction books for young people, including Flygirl, the winner of the California Book Awards’ Gold Medal; The Blossom and the Firefly, the winner of the Golden Kite Award from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators; Orleans; and Who Were the Tuskegee Airmen? She teaches creative writing at Hamline University. Born in Chicago, Sherri now lives in Los Angeles. Learn more at SherriLSmith.com and follow her on Twitter @Sherri_L_Smith.

 

Chicago's Pioneering Black Aviators and the Race for Equality in the Sky
9780593323991
From the acclaimed author of Flygirl and the bestselling author of Code Name Verity comes the thrilling and inspiring true story of the desegregation of the skies. Now in paperback!
$12.99 US
Jan 14, 2025
Paperback
384 Pages
G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers