Piper McCloud isn’t like other kids. Born to older parents living on a farm in a small rural area, she is healthy and happy and curious about the world around her. Her endless probing questions confound her simple, good father, and her tendency to float particularly makes her parents unnerved. They keep her quietly at home, away from other people, and try to encourage her to just stay grounded. Literally.

But she decides she must find out if she can not just float, but actually fly, and when she does, it sets off a firestorm of consternation and fear not only in her family but her little community. Immediately, she becomes front-page news — and the government steps in.

She is taken to a far-off location where other special children with unique abilities are housed and taught. She is excited to be able to be with other kids who should be able to understand her, and to practice and perfect her flying techniques. However, the facility, high-tech and fancy though it is, is not all it was made out to be. She and the other gifted children must figure out what they really want to do with their lives – and how to do it without interference. Piper’s ability is handy, but her goodness, honesty and determination are the real qualities that will enable her to lead.

The Girl Who Could Fly is a fun novel, an interesting mixture of down-home country life and high-tech sci-fi, but one with a message that will resonate for any reader.

Rated: Mild. The novel is quite mild; it only contains two or three mild bits of language. Would be “None” for adults.