Aviators United: Building Together Paperback – March 11, 2026

What if the best team you ever found… found you first?Zoe would rather fix a broken motor than talk to anyone. Luna never goes anywhere without her aviator goggles and bomber jacket. Dev hasn't looked up from his screen in months. And Kai just moved to his fourth state in five years, sketching flying machines to pass the time.They don't know each other. But when all four sign up for the Young Aviators Kit Plane Contest at a California airshow, they end up at neighboring workbenches — and in each other's way.Zoe builds by the book. Dev trusts his phone over the instructions. Luna cares more about how her plane looks than whether it flies. Kai quietly modifies his design while nobody's watching. And the loudest girl in the tent has already announced she's going to win.Then something breaks. And the only way to fix it is together.But these four kids aren't just building planes. Zoe overheard her dad say he might lose his shop. Kai's mom just deployed overseas — again. Luna's mom can't get off a work call long enough to notice her daughter loves aviation. And Dev's parents dragged him here because they're afraid he's disappearing into a screen.Aviators United: Building Together is the first book in a five-part series about four kids who discover that Zoe's stubbornness, Luna's courage, Kai's quiet creativity, and a gamer who finally looks up from his screen are exactly what the team needs.This isn't aviation written from a library. Author Anneke Tucker spent 23 years in aviation — as a Marine Corps helicopter mechanic, a Director of Quality overseeing 200+ maintenance professionals, and an FAA-certified inspector who runs apprenticeship programs for the next generation. This is the book she needed and couldn't find.For ages 8–12. First in a completed five-book series following one school year — fall through summer — of friendship, challenges, and four very different paths into aviation. Read more