Book 1 in the NEW Wings series.
Jatinder seems to be living his dream – he’s training for his football team’s youth squad, and his host parents Steve and Esther are really great.
But something’s holding Jatinder back from being a really great footballer – himself.
Steve reckons it’s OK to take risks – look at his own hero, Hardit Singh Malik.
That night Jatinder wakes up in a seriously surprising situation – flying Hardit’s WWI fighter plane into enemy airspace.
“Tom is the RAF Museum’s Writer in Residence. His close relationship with the museums and his obsessive eye for detail mean that I was not at all surprised that his Wings books are both highly authentic and hugely exciting. These are Biggles books for the 21st century.” Phil Clayton, Education Office at RAF Museum
Buy Flyboy 
Signed and dedicated copies are available personalised to order from my local independent children’s bookshop “The Thoughtful Spot” here.
Read the first chapter of Flyboy here.
Published by Barrington Stoke
Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 8+
“Flyboy is a wonderful, warm tale. Stories highlighting the diversity of Britain’s troops during both world
wars are rare and this one deserves a wide audience. It is a cracking read.” Bali Rai Read more here
“Such a thrilling children’s book with a Sikh character at its centre!”
Sikh Education Council
Awards
2016 Wings: Flyboy is on Leicester Libraries ‘The Big Friendly Read book list for children’
2016 Wings: Flyboy is on the longlist for the Leicester Our Best Book award 2017.
Resources : Flyboy Guided Reading
This pack is full of different literacy ideas for the classroom, library or at home.
Something to help literacy take off for every child.
Download your pack here
Watch my introduction to Flyboy
Each book comes with a simple model plane you can make yourself!
“This is the kind of war time history we need to learn about, and what better way than with a spot of time travel?” Bookwitch
Illustrated by David Shephard
Read Daniel and Alexander’s report of the Flyboy Book Launch here
Reviews
“This book is about a boy called Jatinder, who likes football. At the beginning, he is on a camp and is playing a match. He gets a penalty but misses and is really angry with himself. On his way home he sees a man who is a Sikh like him and then he disappears. He tells Esther, one of the owners of the house he is in, about him and she shows him a book about the first Sikh pilot. That night, whilst reading the book, he sees the man in his room. Then…. he disappears! So Jatinder goes to sleep. The next night he has a dream or is it a reality? This is where his adventure begins. I really enjoyed this book because it was exciting and taught me a lot about the First World War. I recommend this book to 8+ history and football lovers. I give it 10/10” Alexander Bisland, age 10
“I just wanted to send you a message to let you know how much I love the book. I am on chapter 8 and love the story line and my best bit is when Jatinder dreams about ghosts and the football bit.” Jack Willis, Aged 10, Stifford Clays Primary Student
“I am a believer in anything that helps youngsters appreciate our history, and the ability to overcome adversity and do the right thing, whether in peace or in war. A fine present for any young children in the family.” Robin Buckland, Military Modelling
“Funny different and unexpected… All in all a fun story and a beautiful concept. My daughter awarded the book with 5 points and wouldn’t mind reading another book of Tom Palmer!”
“Very exciting, and very educational. This is the kind of war time history we need to learn about, and what better way than with a spot of time travel? Really looking forward to the next two, and while I wait I’ll see if I can build the Sopwith Camel included inside the covers of this book. It’s not every book that comes with its own plane.” Bookwitch
“Tom Palmer writes with breath-taking ease – pulling the reader right into the action so that the sights and dangers of the situation seem real. With great historical detail, yet modern language and thought, Jatinder is a believable character who learns from this time travelling adventure, and carries his new sense of possibility to the football pitch.
Hugely exciting, and a clever entwining of genres, Tom Palmer’s new series is one to watch. It’s also particularly suitable for struggling or dyslexic readers, and comes with a model aeroplane. Assume those wings and fly into reading here.” Minerva
“Tom Palmer’s new story starts on a football pitch and then, via a clever bit of ghost story, gives readers the experience of the skill and bravery required to pilot a Sopwith Camel. Young Jatinder is at a football camp located next to an old airfield used by pilots in World War One. He’s given a book about the fighter pilot Hardit Singh Malik and that night finds himself back in time flying on a reconnaissance mission over Germany. He’s shot down and taken prisoner, then faced with the opportunity to do something very courageous, but very dangerous. Based on the true stories of three airmen – Indian, American and German – this gives readers a sense of what bravery really entails, and puts the spotlight on the extraordinary Malik, the first ever Sikh pilot to fly a plane of war. ” Andrea Reece Lovereading4Kids expert
“
Great book with an exciting story line, a fabulous mix of modern day and days gone by. This book is about a Sikh boy called Jatinder who loves football and his frustration about his lack of skills. While he is at a football camp he stays in an old house on an abandoned air strip and it’s here he thinks he meets a ghost and finds himself heading into a scenario from World War 1 and learns a few lessons along the way. I liked this book because it was about a Sikh both in the modern day and in days gone by and the obstacles they overcome to achieve their dreams. It was exciting and made me want to read more I think the more sensitive reader might find the couple of chapters with the ghost in a bit disturbing but after that it gets better. It was also good because it was based on three real stories about that war and it explains that at the back” Oliver Lonsdale, age 8
“Flyboy was a really brilliant book, it was imaginative and
inspiring. When I began reading it I thought ‘this is a bit boring’ because I am not really interested in football. But when Jatinder became a World War One pilot I was amazed. I didn’t expect the book to be so good! I can’t wait to read it again!” Fennrin Hayden-Hoskins, age 7
“Flyboy is like a cross between ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Alex Rider’. I liked the book because it was spooky. The main character is Jatinder and the story is about World War One. It’s a total page turner! I think it is an amazing book. It attaches you to it straight away on the first sentence. ” Kamran Mustfa, age 7
“An educational, exciting, risk-taking story inspired by three true
stories about the First World War. Good for girls and boys! I enjoyed this story because there was lots of action and danger. Jatinder is a young boy a bit like me who loves football. He is away from home, at a summer holiday football camp with his friends Greg and Rachel, staying in an old RFC pilot-base called Trenchard House in the grounds that had served as an airbase in both the First and Second World Wars. The only grown-ups are Steve and Esther – they are very kind and funny. The story involves time travel and so I learned about planes from WW1. The pilot in the story who took risks had had to apply many times to join the air force because of his skin colour – so when he was finally allowed to join, he didn’t want to waste that time. He was very brave. This inspired Jatinder and inspired me too – and other readers. It is quite a short story and very exciting so you don’t want to put it down. ” Freddie Barth von Wehrenalp, age 8
“I thought this book was totally awesome. I loved the way Jatinder went back to the First World War as the famous pilot and risked his life to try and save others. It gave me an understanding of what dangers the pilots had to face. From taking a risk in a football game to taking a risk in a world war proves that you can take risks
even if things go wrong. I loved reading this book and couldn’t put it down.” Harry Steel, age 8
“This is a really intriguing and interesting book for any kid that likes
planes and football. I like the way the book keeps you guessing
whether he’s dreaming or whether his adventure is real. I really liked the way the story transported Jatinder from reading a book about Hardit Singh Malik to then re-living the experience of actually being him and being the first Indian fighter pilot to fly in the First World War. The book is a journey of discovery about the pilot’s bravery and how this encourages Jatinder’s own bravery.” James Kearsey, age 10
Buy Books
Wings 1 : Flyboy
Signed and dedicated copies are available personalised to order from my local independent children’s bookshop “The Thoughtful Spot” here.
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