Eighth-grader Ricky Diaz and his dad, an ex-DEA agent, love to fly loops over the desert in their Baby Great Lakes biplane. But when Ricky learns that his mother's death in an auto crash the year before wasn't an accident, he decides to put his flying talents to a real test. Disguised as a ragged street kid, he travels to Mexico and into the compound of the drug smugglers who were responsible for his mother's death. His target is an airplane that carries sensitive radar equipment. Between Ricky and the airplane stand thieves, machine guns, and his diminishing self-confidence. Ben Mikaelsen's books for young adults, including Rescue Josh McGuire and Stranded, have won the International Reading Association Award and the Golden Spur Award. They have also been nominated to many state reader's choice lists. In Sparrow Hawk Red, Mikaelsen spins a fast-moving tale of one young teenager's courageous fight against crime and corruption.