Across The Desert

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of addiction and bullying as well as grief due to the loss of immediate family members (father and sister).

Twelve-year-old Jolene races down a sidewalk in Phoenix, Arizona, in blistering heat. The cooled air of the public library is refreshing. She logs on with her library card number to a computer and goes to Blipstream, a livestream website, to wait for The Desert Aviator to begin. The “aviator” is Addie “Earhart,” a 12-year-old pilot of an ultralight trike aircraft who livestreams her flights. Jolene thinks of Addie as a friend; she is Addie’s only fan and consistent viewer. Peers at school tease Jo about her crooked teeth, tattered shoes, and clothes that are too small, but Addie is kind and friendly when Jo converses with her on Blipstream’s message feature.

Addie never reveals her location during livestreams, but Jo strongly suspects Addie flies near Alamo State Park, northwest of Phoenix, based on land features she sees in the feed. Jo fetches an atlas so she can follow Addie’s path when the show begins. She also pulls from her backpack a map she drew of the Alamo Lake area. Jolene’s thoughts roam to other adventurers and mapmakers she admires like Marie Tharp, Kira Shingareva, and Eva Dickson.