• Age: 12 to 15
• Grade: 3 to 4
• Reading age: 12 to 15

Commended for the 2009 Best Books for Kids & Teens
Canadian World War II pilot Charley Fox, now in his late eighties, has had a thrilling life, especially on the day in July 1944 in France when he spotted a black staff car, the kind usually employed to drive high-ranking Third Reich dignitaries. Already noted for his skill in dive-bombing and strafing the enemy, Fox went in to attack the automobile. As it turned out, the car contained famed German General Erwin Rommel, the Desert Fox, and Charley succeeded in wounding him.
Rommel, who at the time was the Germans’ supreme military commander in France orchestrating the Nazis’ resistance to the D-day invasion, was never the same after that. Author Steve Pitt focuses on this seminal event in Charley Fox’s life and in the war, but he also provides fascinating aspects of the period, including profiles of noted ace pilots Buzz Beurling and Billy Bishop, Jr., and Great Escape architect Walter Floody, as well as sidebars about Hurricanes, Spitfires, and Messerschmitts.

STEVE PITT has been a freelance writer for nearly 30 years, specializing in parenting issues and children`s book reviewing. A recipient of a national award for humour, he is the author of Guyness: Deal with it body and soul, Teasing: Deal with it before the joke`s on you and Rain Tonight: A Tale of Hurricane Hazel. He lives with his family in Toronto.

Steve Pitt's profile page

• Commended, Best Books for Kids & Teens

One reason I think someone should buy this book is because the author has included neat facts, pictures and amazing wordplay in the margins to captivate the readers attention throughout the book. Also the author has written an interesting story about a non-fictional historical topic. And finally, the author has given more publicity to a well-known war hero and historical event.

Steve Pitt is an amazing writer inspired by many different things including previous books hes read, cartoons and comics.

KidsWWwrite: Sarah's Stars

" ... brings that exciting war era alive for boys who have always dreamed of flying war planes. Charley ... offered anecdotes and insight which enrich the book ... Like all of Pitt's books, this one is full of additional information in boxes, which makes it accessible to young readers."

Barbara Florio Graham, True North Perspective

"... a discursive biography that provides considerably more than a straight trajectory of a notable life."

Globe & Mail, The

"Most suitable for teachers or senior students interested in wartime history and how the allied air force contributed to the defeat of the German regime." - Diana Mumford, Canadian Teacher Magazine Fall 2008

Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox