Rating: 
Summary: Vermont Magic
Review: Although this book is recommended for young adults, it speaks to the young adult in all of us. Not only does Rita Murphy know the beauty of her native Vermont landscape, she sprinkles it with a magic that all Vermonters and visitors know well.This is a spare, beautifully written novel about the pain and exotic excitement of venturing out into a world that is at once exquisite and nurturing and yet lonely and isolating. As a 38 year old , I was captivated until the last page. I want to know what happened to Georgia the day after!! Thank you Rita Murphy for your gift to all of us
Rating: 
Summary: Will Georgia's Initiation Be Spoiled?
Review: Generations of Hansen women have lived with the family secret...the ability to fly. But for Georgia Hansen, about to turn 16, there is another secret kept by her mother, aunts, and domineering grandmother that she must discover on her own. Anticipating her first solo flight on her 16th birthday, Georgia is worried that the arrival of her Aunt Carmen, who left the family and its rigid rules years earlier, may disrupt the initiation. This coming-of-age story reveals the harm hiding the truth can do, and the damage strict no-questions-asked rules can bring to a family. Rita Murphy's first novel will be a compelling read for young girls. However, for anyone past middle school, the story is rather simple. Murphy's characters lack any real depth, and the relationships are not fully developed. Also, when the truth is revealed, it is really no surprise to older readers who figured out Georgia's story at the beginning of the novel. Despite these weaknesses, the theme of being able to fly above it all, literally and figuratively, is universal, and younger readers will enjoy the protagonist's struggle with her independence.
Rating: 
Summary: Coming of Age
Review: Georgia Hansen has a secret that she cannot share with even her closest friend. She and the other women in her family can fly. This secret, and the strict rules and code in which she lives by cause Georgia to struggle with her family as well as her own emotions. When Georgia learns the truth about her family from her rebellious Aunt Carmen, she performs an act that, in the past, has caused to be disowned. This book would be interesting to those who enjoy fantasy because of the thought of flying and the descriptions the author gives allow you to picture the events vividly in your mind. Since this is a coming of age story, teenage girls could learn a lot from the strength and courage Georgia exhibits and in her ability to make decisions. This would be an excellent book for teenagers who are questioning rules, family relationships, and even the devastation caused by secrets. The choices Georgia and her family make are positive and provide a good role model for teens to follow.
Rating:
Summary: Coming of Age
Review: Georgia Hansen has a secret that she cannot share with even her closest friend. She and the other women in her family can fly. This secret, and the strict rules and code in which she lives by cause Georgia to struggle with her family as well as her own emotions. When Georgia learns the truth about her family from her rebellious Aunt Carmen, she performs an act that, in the past, has caused to be disowned. This book would be interesting to those who enjoy fantasy because of the thought of flying and the descriptions the author gives allow you to picture the events vividly in your mind. Since this is a coming of age story, teenage girls could learn a lot from the strength and courage Georgia exhibits and in her ability to make decisions. This would be an excellent book for teenagers who are questioning rules, family relationships, and even the devastation caused by secrets. The choices Georgia and her family make are positive and provide a good role model for teens to follow.
Rating:
Summary: Night Flying Takes Off!
Review: Georgia Hansen, along with all the other women in her family posses a special gift: the ability to fly. Despite the freedom that this type of power affords, the Hansen women's existence is controlled by rules created by Georgia's domineering grandmother. Even though Georgia knows the rules are essential to her family's survival, she can not help but feel stifled by them and dreams of a world where the only rule is that there are no rules. While she is preparing for her first solo flight, Georgia's mysterious Aunt Carmen returns home after being banished from the family farm for rebelling against the rules. By accident (or by design) she reveals to Georgia secrets about her past and sets her off into a fit or rage and confusion during which she breaks one of the family's most important rules. Rita Murphy's debut novel is a wonderful story about a young girl on the verge of becoming a women who is struggling to define her own self against a backdrop of rules and family secrets. Anyone can relate to Georgia's struggle between living up to her family's expectations of her and fulfilling her own desires. The language is simple, yet it paints a beautiful picture of rural Vermont that readers of any age can appreciate.
Rating:
Summary: Night Flying Takes Off!
Review: Georgia Hansen, along with all the other women in her family posses a special gift: the ability to fly. Despite the freedom that this type of power affords, the Hansen women's existence is controlled by rules created by Georgia's domineering grandmother. Even though Georgia knows the rules are essential to her family's survival, she can not help but feel stifled by them and dreams of a world where the only rule is that there are no rules. While she is preparing for her first solo flight, Georgia's mysterious Aunt Carmen returns home after being banished from the family farm for rebelling against the rules. By accident (or by design) she reveals to Georgia secrets about her past and sets her off into a fit or rage and confusion during which she breaks one of the family's most important rules. Rita Murphy's debut novel is a wonderful story about a young girl on the verge of becoming a women who is struggling to define her own self against a backdrop of rules and family secrets. Anyone can relate to Georgia's struggle between living up to her family's expectations of her and fulfilling her own desires. The language is simple, yet it paints a beautiful picture of rural Vermont that readers of any age can appreciate.
Rating:
Summary: The magic of flight
Review: Georgia Hansens has waiting almost all her life for this moment, will she let it slip through her fingers? Goergia Hansen is a average 15 year old, and she has been waiting for her 16th birthday not because she wants to drive, oh no she can't wait to fly on her own. Yes you heard me right, fly. All the women in Georgia's family can fly. But, there are quite a bit of rules involved, you have to be a verateran, you have to fly at night, and you CAN not fly alone until your 16th birthday. But now that her mom's misterous sister is back with a secret that will change her forever, Georgia breaks one of the rules. This means no solo flight saramony, the thing that Georgia has waited for 16 years. Georgia is now stressed with whether or not she should admit what she did, but she is worried her other secrets may slip out as she confesses. Georgia is also wonders if the resone her strange aunt is here is because of her. This book is wonderful, I could'nt put it down. I rate it five stars foer the authors amazing ability to mix fantasy with every day life. Would you tell the truth, or live with your own guilt?
Rating: 
Summary: Bad writing, boring plot.
Review: I was so excited when I got a copy of 'Night Flying,' but was disappointed very early on while reading it. Rita Murphy's style of writing is very mellow, reminiscent of Judy Blume. But unlike Blume, Murphy isn't able to draw readers into the lives of her characters. While Blume's simplistic writing style still allows her characters captivating personalities, the effect of Murphy's "copycat" style is a lack of interest for the reader. It doesn't help that Georgia, the 15-year old narrator of 'Night Flying,' is the most boring character in the book. I cared so little for her that I wasn't wondering what was going to happen next. Instead, I kept wondering how this book got published in the first place. Sure, the premise is promising...a girl has the gift of flight. But the rest of the story seems to come from a Lifetime channel tv movie. Georgia's mysterious aunt Carmen arrives out of the blue. After this, Georgia's corpse-like personality suddenly gives way to a bratty attitude towards Carmen. This new attitude is so badly written and placed by Murphy that it's no surprise when it's revealed that Carmen is Georgia's real mom. A plot twist that's been done so many times before. I would've given this book one star, but the extra one is for Murphy's ability to make me roll my eyes countless times while reading this book.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: My sister sent me this book because I have a t-shirt that says, "Women fly when men aren't watching." Rita Murphy must have this shirt too. "Night Flying" is a wonderfully written coming of age story that I am recommending to both mothers and daughters. From the opening line, "The Hansen women have always flown at night, even in bad weather," I was ready to fly along. As three geenrations of Hansen women prepare for Georgia's 16th birthday and her first solo flight, Georgia ponders what her mysterious Aunt Carmen did to be cast out from the family. When Carmen returns for the eventful birthday, we all learn something important about rules, and when to break them. I'm looking forward to Ms. Murphy's next work.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: My sister sent me this book because I have a t-shirt that says, "Women fly when men aren't watching." Rita Murphy must have this shirt too. "Night Flying" is a wonderfully written coming of age story that I am recommending to both mothers and daughters. From the opening line, "The Hansen women have always flown at night, even in bad weather," I was ready to fly along. As three geenrations of Hansen women prepare for Georgia's 16th birthday and her first solo flight, Georgia ponders what her mysterious Aunt Carmen did to be cast out from the family. When Carmen returns for the eventful birthday, we all learn something important about rules, and when to break them. I'm looking forward to Ms. Murphy's next work.
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