This true story of a woman whose brilliance and mechanical expertise helped Britain win World
War II is sure to inspire STEM readers and fans of amazing women in history.Beatrice Shilling
wasn't quite like other children. She could make anything. She could fix anything. And when she
took a thing apart she put it back together better than before. When Beatrice left home to
study engineering she knew that as a girl she wouldn't be quite like the other engineers - and
she wasn't. She was better. Still it took hard work and perseverance to persuade the Royal
Aircraft Establishment to give her a chance. But when World War II broke out and British
fighter pilots took to the skies in a desperate struggle for survival against Hitler's bombers
it was clearly time for new ideas. Could Beatrice solve an engine puzzle and help Britain win
the war? American author Mara Rockliff and British illustrator Daniel Duncan team up for a
fresh look at a turning point in modern history - and the role of a remarkable woman whose
ingenuity persistence and way with a wrench (or spanner) made her quite unlike anyone else.
An author's note and a list of selective sources provide additional information for curious
readers.
