FLIGHT PLAN

When technology fails, a routine flight turns into a fight for survival in this stand-alone story set in Walters’ Rule of Three universe.

After visiting his grandmother, 13-year-old Jamie excitedly boards the plane from O’Hare airport that will take him back home. His parents are Delta pilots, so he’s an interested observer of flight details and procedures. But a problem during takeoff leaves the plane stranded on the runway without any power. Capt. Daley takes control, guiding passengers to the terminal and then to nearby hotels for safety. Unable to reach his grandmother, because cell phones are also not functioning, Jamie is stranded. Other planes have crashed, and cars are stopped on the roads. Jamie and others return to the plane to release all the dogs, and one of them, a large dog named Godzilla, immediately becomes Jamie’s faithful sidekick. As collective panic leads to societal breakdown, people start killing each other. With Capt. Daley in command, Jamie joins a small group setting off on foot for the plane’s original destination over 1,000 miles away. Against this apocalyptic backdrop, Jamie’s journey home becomes a coming-of-age odyssey as well as a survival story. Walters writes short, crisp chapters that will keep readers engaged. The novel’s haunting premise and adolescent perspective give familiar tropes an intriguing spin. Jamie and Capt. Daley are white; names and contextual clues point to diversity in the supporting cast.

A page-turning story of teen empowerment with a potent underlying message.