Listen to a sample
Billie Swift Takes Flight
Flashbacks (Related to this series)
- Author
- Iszi Lawrence
- Narrator
- Iszi Lawrence
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Publish Date
- 25 June 2026
- Run Time
- 5 hours 51 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
- Genre
- Children’s / Teenage fiction: Historical fiction, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Military and war fiction, Children’s / Teenage personal and social topics: Diversity, equality, equity and inclusion, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Warfare, battles, armed forces, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Transport and vehicles, Children’s / Teenage personal and social topics: First / new experiences and life changes, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Girls and women, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Action and adventure stories
What to expect
The story of WWII starring the brilliant pilots you've never heard of... the women of the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) who battled against the odds to get the air force's planes to the front lines. This coming-of-age tale is perfect for fans of Emma Carroll, Michael Morpurgo and Hilary McKay.
_______________
October, 1942.
When twelve-year-old Billie is out exploring with her pet chicken, she sees a plane crash into a field and is left wondering if the pilot even survived.
Determined to find out more, Billie finds a way into the ATA – a group of amazing pilots who defy the odds to get planes from the factories to the front lines – and her life changes for ever. Some of the pilots are men who are too old, or too injured for the air force. But many more are women. Intrepid, inspiring women who show Billie what she might grow up to become.
With missions including ferrying turkeys over from Ireland and flying unfamiliar, broken planes, Billie is desperate to help. But piloting fighter planes could turn out to be more than she bargained for...
Critics Review
-
Truly inspiring, full of the spirit of the time and with so many real life people who were the inspiration for Iszi Lawrence’s characters, this is a book that brilliantly evokes a part of history where relatively little of the fictional focus has been on women. It helps to bring their contribution to the notice of today’s readers, many of whom won’t be much younger than Billie herself.
Definitely a book I recommend for anyone learning about WW2 at school, either as a class read aloud or a solo read; and for home reading by children who love an exciting tale.Red Reading Hub
-
It is brimming with historical detail and really highlights the heroic nature of some very inspirational women. It would be an excellent class story that would provide children with a tale about a thrilling war-time adventure.
Reading Zone
-
If you want oodles of girl power packed in a historical fiction novel and a fresh perspective from a WWII pilot, then this is the book for you and your child(ren)!
Sidra Ansari
-
PRAISE FOR BLACKBEARD'S TREASURE
This is children's fiction at its best ... Perfect for fans of Jacqueline Wilson.The Lady
See more reviews See fewer reviews
-
PRAISE FOR THE UNSTOPPABLE LETTY PEGG
Letty and her friends and rivals are great characters, as are the real life people she comes across at different times in her adventures. Thoroughly recommended.Books for Keeps
User Reviews
No reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Iszi Lawrence
- Narrator
- Iszi Lawrence
- Duration
- 5 hours 51 minutes
- Release Date
- 25 June 2026
- ISBN
- 9781801999342
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Genre
- Children’s / Teenage fiction: Historical fiction, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Military and war fiction, Children’s / Teenage personal and social topics: Diversity, equality, equity and inclusion, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Warfare, battles, armed forces, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Transport and vehicles, Children’s / Teenage personal and social topics: First / new experiences and life changes, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Girls and women, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Action and adventure stories
Synopsis
Bloomsbury presents Billie Swift Takes Flight, written and read by Iszi Lawrence The story of WWII starring the brilliant pilots you've never heard of... the women of the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) who battled against the odds to get the air force's planes to the front lines. This coming-of-age tale is perfect for fans of Emma Carroll, Michael Morpurgo and Hilary McKay._______________October, 1942. When twelve-year-old Billie is out exploring with her pet chicken, she sees a plane crash into a field and is left wondering if the pilot even survived. Determined to find out more, Billie finds a way into the ATA – a group of amazing pilots who defy the odds to get planes from the factories to the front lines – and her life changes for ever. Some of the pilots are men who are too old, or too injured for the air force. But many more are women. Intrepid, inspiring women who show Billie what she might grow up to become.With missions including ferrying turkeys over from Ireland and flying unfamiliar, broken planes, Billie is desperate to help. But piloting fighter planes could turn out to be more than she bargained for...
About xigxag
xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK's only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.
There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at $13.95. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from $7.95. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.
Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.
Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.