The Girl Who Could Fly

Piper McCloud is a simple, talkative, home-schooled and creative farm girl who lives in Lowland County. But as ordinary as she sounds, she is extraordinary in one way; she can fly. She has been able to float ever since she was a baby. Betty and Joe McCloud (Piper's parents), figure out that she's flying when she jumped off the roof. This worries Betty. After seeing her daughter fly, Betty warns Piper not to fly but Piper doesn't understand. Flying is just a part of her and she needs to do it. Piper then begins to secretly practice flying, and eventually is able to fly around the neighborhood.

A few days later, Betty tells Piper that they'll be going to the Fourth of July picnic, and Piper gets excited because it would be a chance to make friends. But Millie Mae Miller, the town gossip, has spread a rumor that Piper is crazy. She makes, and then almost immediately loses a new friend, Sally Sue Miller. During a conversation with Sally Sue, Piper mentions that she saw Sally Sue's mother, Millie, kicking the butt of a dog. Sally Sue is scared, and not knowing that Piper can fly, thinks she is spying or stalking her family.

Piper embarrasses herself when she keeps missing the ball during the game, and Millie Mae Miller isn't helping; she keeps sneering at Piper. Determined to prove herself, Piper then flies to catch the ball. Everyone falls silent, thinking Piper is from the devil. The next morning, Piper finds her house surrounded with reporters trying to get the latest scoop on 'The Girl Who Could Fly', attracting a scientist named Dr. Letitia Hellion, a stunning agent who works at a school with children who have 'special' abilities.

After a visit from Dr. Hellion, Piper eventually agrees to reside in the academy and board, on the condition that she does not fly. Her father gives her a hand carved bird tied to a blue ribbon wrapped in a handkerchief before she leaves as something to remember him by.

When she does arrive, she enters the school and takes the elevator down to Level Thirteen with Dr. Hellion, who explains that not only do they foster humans, but plants and animals with unique abilities as well. Piper sees many wonders through the glass elevator, including a butterfly with moving colors on its wings and what seems to be a growling rose. She arrives at Level Thirteen, where all the children live and learn. She meets the other members of the academy as well, including a girl named Bella and a boy named Conrad, who immediately hates her.

At lunch, Piper's glass slides back and forth, which is eventually found to be controlled telekinetically by a girl named Lily. Piper turns the tables on her and ends up spilling Lily's own water on her dress, which earn the approval of all Piper's classmates. When back in class, Conrad bullies Jasper, a boy who forgot his talent, and bashes his basket up. He tricks Piper into flying to save herself from falling to her death, which causes her to be nearly expelled.

At mealtime, Bella is seen making rainbows. At first, everyone cheers, until they realize Bella is crying. Conrad offers to take her to Nurse Tolle. Piper later bonds with Dr. Hellion and the kids. Conrad finally pushes her to her tipping point, and during the graduation of a dull-looking Bella, steals her hand carved bird and chucks it in the trash. She fights with Conrad and they are both sent to Dr. Hellion's office. While on their way, Piper escapes to the incinerator and meets a growling rose, which a machine nearby sprays a gray substance on. A tiny drop lands on Piper's arm and it burns her, and she feels sorry for the rose. She meets a turtle with a heavy block crushing its back and decides to leave her bird and save the animals. The turtle, being freed from the block, bounces playfully around the room. It escapes out of a window. Whilst trying to catch it, Piper finds the black cricket she met and she finds he is being bound with sticky glue. Using some Q tips, she gets rid of it and keeps the cricket, which she names Sebastian. She hears Jessie and Moo coming and hides in a room, where she finds a giraffe. She strokes him lovingly because he is chained by the legs, and it glows in happiness.

While hiding, she hears a voice, which is found to be Dr. Hellion's. When the scientists find the black cricket missing, CCTV reveals Piper took it, and Dr. Hellion walks to her office, thinking she is there. Piper flies with difficulty to her office and spots a phone, which she uses to dial her Ma and Pa. Unfortunately, Conrad ends the call and dissects the phone, proving it to be bugged. He hands her her wooden bird and explains he made a replica and threw the replica in the trash. He tells her to keep the cricket and play along. Conrad immediately blurts to Dr. Hellion that Piper was hiding something, and tells her Bella took a black cricket and let Piper touch it. Dr. Hellion questions him about the fight over him throwing Piper's bird in the trash, which he denies and Piper holds her bird up.

After lights out, Conrad explains that the academy, called I.N.S.A.N.E, tries to make everything that walks through its doors normal. Through the food, they put a formula in tailored to every human to deactivate their abilities and do the same thing with the animals and plants, and if all fails, destroys them. Conrad was only picking on Piper so she could wake up and fly. Piper refuses to escape with him unless the rest are going, and begins to encourage them to dream about using their talents in a good way. The only person she can't get an answer out of is Jasper, who is scheduled to graduate next (they graduate once they have fully lost their power). They tell the kids and plan an escape plan. The escape plan failed and Dr. Hellion puts Piper in a M.O.L.D., then leaves to wait for Piper to succumb. A man with the power of invisibility known as J reveals himself and tries to get Piper out, but she refuses and J leaves. Sebastian comes and sings to her, revealing his talent, but is effectively killed by Dr. Hellion with agent A's shoe, which causes Piper to black out.

Afterwards, it is revealed that Conrad had betrayed his classmates. Dr Hellion has found out about the students’ escape plan, and threatened Conrad to remove his frontal brain lobe.He makes a deal with Dr. Hellion, that if he tell her the details of the escape plan, he will be released from I.N.S.A.N.E. However,Dr. Hellion had tricked Conrad, stating that since a guardian's signature is required to permit his leaving, and that she was placed as his caretaker by his father, Conrad could not leave.

Conrad is confused on how he could have possibly failed and starts to stay in bed. He realizes that he has the most likely answers to questions, but not the right ones.Piper arrives a few weeks later, after Conrad awakes from weeks of lying in bed, thinking that she might know the answers. The kids find that Piper has forgotten who she was, on top of being crippled. Later, when the students tried to escape again, they struggle about what to do with Piper.Conrad announces that he'll stay behind with Piper to confront authorities, realizing that this was the right answer.Jasper refuses and finally remembers his talent, which is healing. He heals Piper and she remembers herself and how to fly. They instead do not escape but revolt, which seems to succeed. Conrad then tries to convince his father, an important politician, to give ownership of the school to the kids.As the children are leaving the school to catch a glimpse of the sun, Dr. Hellion is waiting for them with a stun baton. Piper and Dr. Hellion fight, leading to Dr. Hellion uncovering the secret ability to fly. She finally falls into the icy cliffs, then remembers a terrible flash-back about her younger sister Sarah, who died by falling into a cliff when she and Dr. Hellion were out flying. Then Dr. Hellion stops flying and Piper tries to save her, but Dr. Hellion falls into the icy cliffs below and is presumed dead by Piper and the rest.

Several months later, Conrad joins Piper as a part of her family, being abandoned by his.I.N.S.A.N.E.is now a centre for caring plants and animals with special abilities, run by some of the kids.Piper goes to the picnic along with her friends from I.N.S.A.N.E., and they win the annual baseball game. Lowland County has been told that Piper had pulled an "optical illusion" on them and was sent to the academy "because she was a bad girl." Later, Conrad and Piper are talking on the roof. Piper reveals to him that J came to her and told her that the kids from I.N.S.A.N.E. were not safe yet, and there was another, hidden place where they belonged instead.[1]

The book won the Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year, the Black Eyed Susan Award, Booklist Editors' Choice, Florida Sunshine State Young Readers Award Master List, Indiana Young Hoosier Award Master List and the Utah Beehive Book Award Master List Awards. The novel was under the Top 10 First Novels for Youth.[2] As of November 7, 2015, it was on the New York Times Bestseller List for 6 weeks.[3] Kirkus Reviews wrote, "This fantasy has an air of reality, maintained by the aw-shucks flavor of the dialogue and its determined, good-as-gold heroine."[4] Booklist gave it a starred review and said, "Best of all are the book’s strong, lightly wrapped messages about friendship and authenticity and the difference between doing well and doing good."[5] The Horn Book Review said, "Any child who has felt different will take strength from Piper’s fight to be herself against the tide of family, church, and society.”[5] Author of the Twilight series Stephenie Meyer praised the book, "It’s the oddest/sweetest mix of Little House on the Prairie and X-Men. I was smiling the whole time (except for the part where I cried). I gave it to my mom, and I’m reading it to my kids-it’s absolutely multigenerational. Prepare to have your heart warmed."[6]

A sequel, The Boy Who Knew Everything, was released on October 27, 2015. The 3rd book, The Girl Who Fell Out Of The Sky, came out January 2020.