Join Sherri in celebrating the launch of her new graphic novel, PEARL at Once Upon a Time Bookstore— the oldest children’s bookstore in the United States! If you’re a WWII buff, curious about history, or about writing graphic novels, this is the place to be!

SHERRI L. SMITH AND ELIZABETH WEIN DISCUSS AMERICAN WINGS: CHICAGO'S PIONEERING BLACK AVIATORS AND THE RACE FOR EQUALITY IN THE SKY

From the acclaimed author of Flygirl and the bestselling author of Code Name Verity comes the thrilling and inspiring true story of the desegregation of the skies.

In the years between World War I and World War II, aviation fever was everywhere, including among Black Americans. But what hope did a Black person have of learning to fly in a country constricted by prejudice and Jim Crow laws, where some previous Black aviators like Bessie

Coleman had to move to France to earn their wings?

American Wings follows a group of determined Black Americans: Cornelius Coffey and Johnny Robinson, skilled auto mechanics; Janet Harmon Bragg, a nurse; and Willa Brown, a teacher and social worker. Together, they created a flying club and built their own airfield on Chicago's South Side. As the U.S. hurtled toward World War II, they established a school to train new pilots, teaching both Black and white students together and proving, in a time when the U.S. military was still segregated, that successful integration was possible.

Complete with black-and-white photographs throughout, American Wings brings to light a hidden history of pioneering Black men and women who, with grit and resilience, battled powerful odds for an equal share of the sky. (G.P. Putnam’s Sons for Young Readers)

Join Sherri and Julie as they discuss Sherri’s World War II love story, The Blossom and the FIrefly, and Julie’s World War I romance, Lovely War.

Join Sherri at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena for a reading from her newest novel, The Blossom and the Firefly. The evening will include a reading and discussion of the novel, as well as a special performance of koto and violin featuring music from the book.