My aunt said, "I been doing a lot of thinking and praying about your daddy, and I decided the time's come for you to see him again. There's a train leaving for North Carolina today."

Good grief almighty, was she out of her mind? Did she remember my daddy was still serving in the U.S. Army? And our country was still in a big war? And nobody had surrendered yet?

It's May 5, 1945. Carrying nothing but a suitcase and a bag of his aunt's good fried chicken, thirteen-year old Levi Battle heads south to a U.S. Army post in search of his father. The fact that his father doesn’t even know he's coming turns out to be the least of his problems.

While the war may seem to be ending, Levi discovers his father's secret mission is just beginning—and it is more unbelievable than anybody ever imagined. Ultimately, Levi will have to decide if he wants to go along for the ride.

Inspired by actual events, Jump into the Sky follows the surprising and little-known mission of an all-black paratrooper unit in World War II. An Author’s Note at the end of the book provides additional details for readers.

Free teacher's guide available for download here. (PDF download)

Curriculum suggestion: Pair Jump into the Sky with Tanya Lee Stone’s Courage Has No Color: The True Story of the Triple Nickles (Candlewick Press, 2013) for a great Common Core connection between fiction and non-fiction.