Airborn by Kenneth Oppel
“Do you think her mother was still there?”
“I don’t know. I suppose she would be, wouldn’t she? Unless she died in the meantime.”
“That’s very satisfying, isn’t it? A family reunion.”
“Heartwarming. Just remember,” I warned her, “our pretty cloud cat would have no qualms about lunching on you.”
“I know. I know.”
“They are beautiful, though,” I said.
“Beautiful creatures,” she agreed. “I wish I’d seen the whole flock.”
“You will.”
We both looked out over the river in silence.
“Baz is getting married this summer,” I told her. “I promised to sail down for the wedding. He’s asked me to be best man.”
“That’s quite an honor.”
“I feel too young to be a best man,” I admitted.
“He’s lucky to have a friend like you,” she said.
“Have you decided where you’ll study?”
“Not yet. There’s Lionsgate City, London, Constantinople, and of course here in Paris.”
“Really?” I said.
“Yes, the university here is highly regarded.”
“Look, she’s about to cast off,” I said, leaning against the balustrade and pointing to the Aurora.
I thought of Captain Walken aboard, all the crew I’d lived with, my bunk and little porthole through which I could see the passing clouds and stars.
“She really does look sensational, doesn’t she?”
Kate rolled her eyes. “You and your airships,” she said. “I honestly wonder if there’s room in your head for anything else.”
“I think Paris would be a grand place to study,” I told her.
“Do you?” she asked.
“I do. The university’s just on the other side of the river from the Air Academy. I’ve walked past it many times.”
She smiled. “Well, I’ll certainly consider it very carefully, then.”
Just then, the Aurora cast off from the Eiffel Tower and was free again, gracefully rising and turning in the wind to begin a new journey.
“That’s my girl,” I said, and took her hand.
About the Author
Kenneth Oppel is the author of many books, including the best-selling Silverwing trilogy, winner of several awards, including the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children. About AIRBORN, he writes: “I’ve long been fascinated by airships. To me they seem almost miraculous. A luxurious passenger vessel bigger than the Titanic, yet lighter than air. They were the biggest objects ever to fly. What if airplanes hadn’t been invented? In the world of AIRBORN, airships rule the skies.”
A native of Canada, Kenneth Oppel lives with his family in Toronto.
Visit Kenneth Oppel online at www.airborn.ca and www.kennethoppel.ca
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PRAISE FOR AIRBORN
“A terrific, rollicking adventure set in a Victorian world traversed by airships…Airborn bounces along, filled with irresistible optimism and a zest that makes you hope for a sequel.”
—The Times (London)
“A classic tale.”
—The Vancouver Sun
“Matt is a wonderfully enthusiastic narrator whose passion for flight is evident on every page, and he’s well-matched by the strong-willed, intellectually curious Kate.”
—The Horn Book
“Kate and Matt are given equal roles in this adventure laced with a touch of fantasy reminiscent of Treasure Island and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Committing several murders, the pirates are typically unsavory but are not stock cartoon characters. This title, packed with suspense, fantasy, and thrills, is a solid selection geared to middle school boys.”
—VOYA
“Airborn is a satisfying, rip-roaring adventure…. Oppel writes with clarity and passion, particularly in his description of the natural world and the world in the sky, and the plot fairly zips along, but there is also a reflective quality to his writing, and he is not afraid to tackle the issue of death. Kate and Matt, both dreamers and kindred spirits are well-rounded characters, frustrated by the class differences between them, and argumentative as a result. If you liked Mortal Engines and Harry Potter, this is for you!”
—Booktrusted News (UK)
“This book kept me entertained chapter after chapter. I can’t wait for the sequel to come out!”
—Brand New Planet/Toronto Star
“Entrancing, exciting adventure with airships, pirates, and mysterious flying mammals takes place on an earth with the same geography as ours, but different technology. Full of a sense of air, flying details, and action.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“In crisp, precise prose that gracefully conveys a wealth of detail, Oppel (The Silverwing Saga) imagines an alternate past where zeppelins crowd the skies over the Atlanticus and the Pacificus, and luxury liners travel the air rather than the sea. The author’s inviting new world will stoke readers’ imaginations—and may leave them hoping for a sequel.”
—Publishers Weekly
Credits
Cover art © 2005 by Danilo Ducak
Cover design by Christopher Stengel
Cover © 2005 by HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
Copyright
AIRBORN. Copyright © 2004 by Firewing Productions, Inc. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Adobe Digital Edition August 2009 ISBN 978-0-06-196832-7
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About the Publisher
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Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Dedication
Contents
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
About the Author
Praise
Credits
Copyright
About the Publisher
Kenneth Oppel, Airborn
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