Flight to Freedom is about a girl named Yara Garcia from Havana , Cuba , who is exiled to the United States because of communism in her homeland. She wants to go back to Cuba , but her family can't go back, yet. She goes through many things in the United States , like her Abuelo's death, learning English, and making new friends. She knows they will someday return to Cuba .

I had read an advertisement for this series (First Person Fiction) in a magazine, and had examined it, coming to the conclusion that I would someday read all of the books except this one. I didn't think it would be interesting.

The beginning of the book is very slow as it follows Yara through Cuban life, and the book doesn't pick up much speed until their trip to the United States .  

Some parts of the book were confusing, and there were some Spanish words which had meanings left up to the reader's inferences, like certain food words.  

I think the age group listed on the back cover of the book, 11-15 years old, is pretty appropriate. It is set at a younger child's reading level, but it is probable that only someone over eleven would understand some concepts of the book, such as communism and war. I wouldn't recommend the book to anyone out of the blue, but if I saw someone eying it on a shelf at the library or bookstore, I might give them a nudge in the right direction and tell them to read it, because it really is an intriguing and likable book.

 

~Emma Shebat, 7^th Grade,   Canfield Village Middle School