Going Solo by Ronald Dahl

Going Solo is partially the adaptation of Roald Dahl's memoir, Boy. This book goes through his time as a WW2 fighter pilot and his encounters with deadly wildlife in Africa. Dahl mostly wrote about his time in Kenya while he was still training to fight for the RAF (Royal Air Force) in the De Havilland Tiger Moth, then switched between the Gloster Gladiator which he crashed. After that, he piloted the Hawker Hurricane in which he scored 5 aerial victories, officially making him a fighter ace.

In my opinion, this book was REALLY good. I found Ronald Dahl to be a children's author so when I found out that he pretty much wrote a memoir about his time as a fighter ace in WW2, I was pleasantly surprised. I've wanted to join the Air Force myself and this book really showed me the bare reality of being a fighter pilot during a war. This wasn't any Hollywood movie, this was RAW TRUTH. This book overall is just really interesting and a really good. You don't even have to like planes to enjoy!

Reviewed by Narek M., Grade 8

Glendale Central Library