From the author of the bestselling Daughters of the Occupation comes a novel based on the real-life story of a female night-bomber aviation regiment in WWII.
THE NIGHT WITCHES
by Shelly Sanders
HarperCollins Canada, March 2027
1941: As the Nazis flatten her country, Maria Raskova, a record-breaking Russian female pilot and navigation instructor, receives permission to form the only female aviation regiment in WWII. From the start, the odds are against the women in the night-bomber regiment, forced to fly in deadly open-cockpit biplanes, made of canvas and wood, with a top speed of only 94 miles an hour.
Then, after their most tragic night of the war, the female night-bombers must overcome their grief and shaken confidence to complete their missions safely and prove their worth to their male counterparts, who have jeered at the women since they began training.
Told through the eyes of four women pilots in this unprecedented squadron, THE NIGHT WITCHES, inspired by real women and true events, is a story of triumphant femininity in the face of staggering odds.
Shelly Sanders is the bestselling author of the adult novels The Night Sparrow and Daughters of the Occupation as well as the acclaimed young adult historical novels The Rachel Trilogy. She began her writing career as a freelance journalist working for major publications, including the Toronto Star, National Post, Maclean’s, Canadian Living, Reader’s Digest, and Today’s Parent.