SPROG: A rookie airman, forced to learn by doing.
This debut novel by Malcolm Kelly follows five young men as they journey to join the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1941. They come from different places, and different lives, but they all share a dream: to fly. One is from Abilene, Texas, determined to get into the fight though his country is neutral. Another is a top high school athlete from Toronto, who wants to put his bravery to the test in the fight against Nazi Germany. A third is a from a small mill town who lies about his age to join a battle many other believe to be someone else’s problem.
Eager to join the war in the skies over Europe, thousands of young men flock to Canada from all over Britain and the Commonwealth, and the United States — all hoping to earn their pilots’ wings. Before taking to the air, they must endure the challenges of the British Air Commonwealth Training Plan, which quickly turns them from boys into men, and from civilians into soldiers.
Sprog takes us from Bomber Command’s war, to the retreat from France, and to the peaceful but dangerous skies of Canada where these young men will discover themselves, and their destinies.