Just finished reading this offering from Miriam Moss (Andersen Press) which has also been shortlisted for the Young Quills Award for historical fiction (see info about Daniel). A hugely enjoyable read – I noticed that in Waterstones where I bought my copy they have it in their general fiction section rather than on the kids shelves – I often wish they did likewise with my book Resistance. Girl on a Plane is based on the author’s own experiences of being on a hijacked plane when she was 15 (1970s) – so, no issues regarding research! And yet it is a work of fiction. I was a little puzzled by this at first, although I guess it gave her certain freedoms regarding the narrative, and after all these years remembering things precisely can be tricky, especially in such a stressful situation. And, to be fair, in my WWII research over the years I’ve lost count of the number of autobiographies I’ve read that contain extensive conversations verbatim had decades earlier (witty, clever and amusing) that I simply don’t believe, and which can de-value the work, so good for Miriam for avoiding such a trap. It’s well written too. I would have liked to have seen a short piece at the end to give a more complete historical perspective/info to give her whole story a context that perhaps younger readers might need (although the key elements are worked into the narrative). Well worth seeking out though.