I love history. It was my undergrad major. I love watching shows about history and archeology on TV. The closest I ever got to exploring a historical place (instead of taking a tour) as the kids in this book get to do was wandering around Fort Washington when I was a kid. That's why I was pleased to buy a used copy of Flight of Angels.

Sheila, Rodney, Debbie, and Kanshi have to come up with a project for their study group. The idea is Sheila's, but she's already wise enough to arrange for Rodney to think he came up with it. These students live in Nottingham, England, which is built on Sherwood sandstone and full of caves. (Yes, that Nottingham, but this book isn't about Robin Hood.)

Sheila's dad is the cellarman at Peblow's, a wine and spirits, or what we in the US call "hard liquor" business. It's the caves and cellars underneath Nottingham, including Peblow's, that the students are going to explore.

Sheila's dad has been doing some clearing out in Peblow's cellars, so Rodney and Sheila discover a section that was blocked up long ago. As part of their project, they have to do research at the local library. The librarian they meet, Mr. Blasterman, warms this former librarian's heart. He loves his work, is doing research for his own interest, and he helps the students learn how to think of the right questions to ask themselves.

During their research they learn that the blocking off of a section of Peblow's cellar must have happened earlier than they think. A quotation from a centuries-old letter gives our students a clue that will become very valuable later. In the meantime, a little bit of science gives away the scheme of Simon Peblow, the greedy son of Mr. Peblow, to Kanshi while Kanshi is mapping the cellars. Simon's scheme would hurt people and destroy part of history, but Simon doesn't care so long as he makes money from it. That scheme forces the cellar exploration to go faster than archeology would prefer, but precautions are taken.

Although all of the students play a role in the great discovery, Debbie finds it first. I can see a bit of author wish fulfillment in that discovery. I don't blame him one bit. I wish it were true, too. This is definitely a book for mystery and history lovers. I recommend looking up Nottingham and seeing pictures of some of the places mentioned in the book. Too bad Lerner didn't list the cover artist, because the cover of Debbie shining her torch (flashlight) up is quite accurate. (I mean the cover with the blue background.) Cover artists, please be sure to write your name legibly in a place that's not likely to be cut off. ( )