Fly, Girl, Fly!: Shaesta Waiz Soars Around the World

You must believe in yourself and allow your dreams to soar. --Shaesta Waiz

Shaesta Waiz, a refugee from Afghanistan, dreamed of doing great things. But first she had to leave a refugee camp with her family to make a new life in America, overcome gender stereotypes, be the first in her family to go to college, and overcome her fear of flying. After becoming a pilot, Shaesta made the flight of a lifetime by crossing five continents, making thirty stops in twenty-two countries across nearly 25,000 nautical miles. At the age of thirty, Shaesta was the youngest woman and the first from Afghanistan to circumnavigate the globe by herself in a single-engine aircraft.

Fly, Girl, Fly! is the first authorized picture book biography of Shaesta Waiz. Backmatter includes more information about Shaesta's mission to empower girls to pursue STEM careers, details about her historic trip around the world, information about her nonprofit organization Dreams Soar, and a personal note from Shaesta Waiz encouraging girls to pursue their dreams.

Nancy Roe Pimm is an award-winning author of many books and articles for children. In addition to Fly, Girl, Fly!, Pimm is the author of the middle-grade biography The Jerrie Mock Story: The First Woman to Fly Solo around the World. She and her retired racecar-driver husband Ed Pimm live in Plain City, Ohio. They have three daughters and two grandsons. Nancy and Ed share their home with two dogs, one cat, and one snake.

Alexandra Bye is a New England local who works as a full-time freelance illustrator. In addition to Fly, Girl, Fly!, she is the illustrator of A Race Around the World: The True Story of Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland written by Caroline Starr Rose and The Only Woman in the Photo: Frances Perkins & Her New Deal for America written by Kathleen Krull. Her work is constantly inspired by her community and reflects her passion for color, people, and the outdoors. She enjoys balancing her creative time with mountain biking, paddle boarding, cooking, and hiking with her dog.