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After her mother’s death, 12-year-old Clara Poole tried to become the “safe version” of herself to please her cautious father. Then, while floating above the ground at the end-of-school-year fair in a plastic lawn chair lifted by hundreds of balloons, Clara has a thought: She could descend to earth—or she could go higher. Cutting her tether, Clara soars away over Michigan. When she lands, Clara is greeted by reporters, grounded by her father, and invited to join the World Organization of Balloon Aeronauts on their 100th air race. Consisting of 10 stages, including an endurance trial over the Sahara and a hunt for flags among the rocky cliffs of Mount Kailash in Tibet, the race is notoriously dangerous and completely thrilling. Partnered with a seasoned aeronaut and three monkey co-pilots, Clara learns the temperamental art of ballooning while navigating new friendships and scheming competitors. Invented elements, like the use of a flusterboard to travel between balloons, exist alongside references to genuine landmarks, creating a fantastical world that feels wholly possible. Most main characters, including Clara, are assumed White. Aeronaut teams represent their countries; Clara forms notable friendships with the Hoshis from Japan and the Jollys from India.
