Books with author Margaret Burnham

“Roy! Roy! where are you?” Peggy Prescott came flying down the red-brick path, a rustling newspaper clutched in her hand. “Here I am, sis,—what’s up?” The door of a long, low shed at the farther end of the old-fashioned garden opened as a clattering sound of hammering abruptly ceased. Roy Prescott, a wavy-haired, blue-eyed lad of seventeen, or thereabouts, stood in the portal. He looked very business-like in his khaki trousers, blue shirt and rolled up sleeves. In his hand was a shiny hammer. Peggy, quite regardless of a big, black smudge on her brother’s face, threw her arms around his neck in one of her “bear hugs,” while Roy, boy-like, wriggled in her clasp as best he could.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

This is one of the series books that American girls read for fun a century ago. It's not only a fast-paced tale of friendship and adventure, but also a window onto the past. Aunt Claire has combed through the attic of forgotten stories to rescue some of the best. Her third selection is The Girl Aviators and the Phantom Airship, originally published in 1911. In this book, you will meet Peggy Prescott and her brother Roy, two orphans who drop out of school and spend every last dollar they have to fulfill their father's dying wish—to construct a new type of aeroplane, better and more reliable than any other. With the help of their best friends Jess and Jimsy, can they get their Golden Butterfly in the air and win the $5,000 Young Aviator's Prize before the scheming banker Simon Harding forecloses on their aunt's Long Island farm? Or will Simon's son Fanning carry off the prize with the Phantom Airship he's constructing in secret with his unsavory helpers? Aunt Claire's illustrated introduction provides just the right amount of historical context for young readers: What was it like to fly in an airplane in 1911? Were there girl aviators in real life? And what can we learn from the mix of social attitudes displayed in the book? Don't forget to look underneath the jacket to see the original cover from 1911!