Candy Bomber: The Story of the Berlin Airlift's "Chocolate Pilot"

By Michael O. Tunnell

Book Overview

After World War II the United States and Britain airlifted food and supplies into Russian-blockaded West Berlin. US Air Force Lieutenant Gail S. Halvorsen knew the children of the city were suffering.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1580893368
• ISBN13: 9781580893367
• Release Date: July 2010
• Publisher: Charlesbridge
• Length: 120 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 0.6" x 7.9"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

Great retelling of Lieutenant Halvorsen's exploits during Berlin Airlift

Michael O. Tunnell's book "Candy Bomber: the story of the Berlin Airlift's Chocolate Pilot," is an excellent mid-grade reader on the exploits of Lieutenant Gail Halvorsen during the Berlin Airlift. For those unfamiliar with his name, Lt. Halvorsen turned a chance meeting with a group of beleaguered Germany children watching the airlift into a lifelong mission. Tunnell adequately captures the mood and circumstance of Halvorsen's efforts to deliver candy via parachute to the children of Berlin. His engagement and ongoing friendship with (retired) Colonel Halvorsen helps keeps the story up to date over recent years. It was a good read, and brought a few tears to my eyes, but the one-star knock down was due to Halvorsen's own memoirs capturing much of the same material with first-person perspective. Tunnell's text is excellent reinforcement, if Halvorsen's own memoir is unavailable.