Flying Solo (novel)


Flying Solo is a young adult novel written by Ralph Fletcher, first published in 1998.

Plot

Mr. Fabiano has a substitute teacher who calls in sick on April 28. When his class arrives, they discover that their substitute teacher has not shown up. The class decides they will not report this to administration and decide to run the classroom by themselves. The students follow the instructions left by their teacher, and all goes fairly smoothly. However, at the end of the day, during a special assembly when all of the teachers are supposed to come up on stage, the class is discovered when they only had a little time left of the school day. At the end of the story, Mr. Fabiano realises that they could run the class by themselves and they go solo.

Characters

  • Mr. Fabiano — A handsome and beloved sixth grade teacher.
  • Rachel White — The de facto protagonist. Rachel has been mute for six months since a classmate who had a crush on her died six months earlier, the day after she told him off. She has a major interest in flying and planes.
  • Tommy Feathers — A sweet boy, formerly in Mr. Fabiano's class, who died of natural causes six months earlier. He had an extreme crush on Rachel, giving her gifts and making her food.
  • Bastian Fauvell — A sarcastic and rebellious Air Force brat. It's his last day of school before he moves to Hawaii.
  • Sean O'Day — A shy boy from a poor family who has a crush on Rachel.
  • Karen Ballard — The natural leader of the class who was basically the teacher for the day, also class president.
  • Jessica Cooke — The only member of the class that questions the students running the class for the day.
  • Christopher Ransom — An obnoxious and spoiled rich boy, that irritates most of the class.
  • Missy — Rachel's best friend, who is also overweight and insecure. She usually acts as Rachel's interpreter.
  • Rhonda — A sassy girl who is also brave and competitive.
  • Sky — An awkward boy from California who is a good surfer.
  • John — A trouble maker that hangs out with Bastian and Christopher all the time.

Themes

Several of the topics explored in the novel include selective mutism, death, and grief.

Reception

Susan P. Bloom in her review for Horn Book Magazine was positive, saying "this kaleidoscopic novel is more thoughtful and poignant than most school stories, while still appropriately leavened with comic moments"; it "demonstrates an utter respect for its characters and its readers, who will appreciate the honest and uncondescending portrayals." Julie Siebecker reviewing for School Library Journal said that "the prose is economical but not sparse, and the characters are developed as sketches rather than in-depth portraits, which helps keep the book moving briskly. Not a must-have but a worthwhile purchase." Nancy J. Johnson in her review for The Reading Teacher said that "Fletcher's characters are realistic and complicated. They rely on the writing lessons Mr. Fabiano taught them to explain, understand and uncover the challenges of growing up and facing independence."