Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart

by Candace Fleming (Author)

Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart
Reading Level: 6th − 7th Grade
From the acclaimed author of "The Great and Only Barnum" comes the thrilling story of America's most celebrated flyer, Amelia Earhart. With incredible photos, maps, and handwritten notes from Amelia herself, this unique title is tailor-made for middle graders.
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Hardcover
$19.99

Publishers Weekly

In a stirring account of an American icon, Fleming (The Great and Only Barnum) seeks to portray the Amelia behind the mythology--some of which, she explains, was perpetuated by Earhart herself. Chapters alternate between the tense search for the pilot's missing plane and a chronological progression through her life, complemented by b&w photographs and other materials smoothly incorporated into the book's crisp Art Deco-inspired design. Readers learn about Earhart's free-spirited early childhood, first inclinations toward flying, and other pursuits, which included medicine, writing, and fashion. An overview of the era's social and political climate, particularly as it pertained to women, should help readers grasp the significance of Earhart's accomplishments. Some anecdotes evidence a cutthroat nature (after Earhart and her husband have a fellow aviator's lecture tour canceled, the aviator recalls, "my friendship for Amelia quickly waned"). This honest depiction of Earhart's professional and personal life forms a complete portrait of a complex woman, making her final doomed flight (and a reproduction of a teenager's notebook transcription of what may have been Earhart's last radio transmission) all the more affecting. Ages 8-12. (Mar.)

Copyright 2011 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

Starred Review

Gr 4-7--Ho-hum history? Not in Fleming's apt hands. What could be a dry recitation of facts and dates is instead a gripping and suspenseful thriller. Even though readers likely know the end of the story, Fleming makes this book difficult to put down by moving between several accounts of Earhart's disappearance and her chronological life story. Quotes from primary sources are woven so seamlessly throughout that it seems as though the individuals involved are telling the story. The Art Deco-inspired book design and excellent black-and-white photographs help to transport readers back in time. Fleming has made a phenomenal woman accessible to a new generation of readers; she unapologetically shows Earhart as a real person and dispels the mythology surrounding her. Exploring more than just her famous flights, she introduces Earhart's other pursuits. Being a pilot in the early 20th century was prohibitively expensive and Earhart had to be a savvy businesswoman willing to try anything and everything to earn enough money to stay in the sky. With G.P. Putnam, a proficient publicist behind her, she not only influenced the future of popular culture, but also forged a path of opportunity for women to follow. Fame is a business, and Earhart and Putnam worked steadily to achieve it; the legend of Amelia Earhart is a testament to their hard work. This book is splendid. Hand it to everyone.--Heather Acerro, Allen County Public Library, Fort Wayne, IN

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, January 1, 2011:
"Handwritten notes, photos, maps and inquisitive sidebars (What did Earhart eat during flight? Tomato juice and chocolate) complete this impeccably researched, appealing package. A stunning look at an equally stunning lady."

Starred Review, The Horn Book Magazine, March/April 2011
"The book's structure and scope, along with the story's inherent drama, provide a taut, cinematic backdrop for the history of Earhart's doomed flight."

Starred Review, School Library Journal, March 2011:
"Ho-hum history? Not in Fleming's apt hands. What could be a dry recitation of facts and dates is instead a gripping and suspenseful thriller...This book is splendid. Hand it to everyone."

Starred Review, The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, March 2011:
"Fleming cleverly structures this biography to give the tale of tragedy a fresh and dreadful impact...As a result, this offers not only a provocative introduction to Earhart but also compelling glimpse of what it was like to watch her disappear from the world."

Candace Fleming
Candace Fleming is the prolific author of The Family Romanov, a Robert F. Sibert Honor Book and the recipient of both the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Award for Young Adult Literature; Amelia Lost, which received four starred reviews; The Great and Only Barnum, nominated for an ALA-YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction and a Publishers Weekly and Booklist Best Book of the Year; The Lincolns, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award recipient; Our Eleanor, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults; and Ben Franklin's Almanac, a James Madison Honor Book. She is also the author of many highly acclaimed picture books, including Oh, No!, illustrated by Eric Rohmann, and middle-grade books, including Ben Franklin's in My Bathroom! and The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School. You can follow Candace Fleming on Twitter at @candacemfleming and visit her at candacefleming.com.

Eric Rohmann is a painter, printer, and fine bookmaker. He is the author/illustrator of the Caldecott Medal-winning My Friend Rabbit and the Caldecott Honor Book Time Flies. He and Candace Fleming have collaborated on numerous acclaimed children's books, including Giant Squid and Oh, No!, recipient of three starred reviews. Visit him at ericrohmann.com.
Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9780375841989
Lexile Measure
930
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Schwartz & Wade Books
Publication date
February 08, 2011
Series
-
BISAC categories
JNF007020 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Historical
JNF025210 - Juvenile Nonfiction | History | United States/20th Century
JNF057010 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Transportation | Aviation
Library of Congress categories
United States
Earhart, Amelia
Women air pilots
Air pilots
Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens
Recommended 2012 - 2012
Cybils
Winner 2011 - 2011
Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award
Nominee 2013 - 2013
Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award
Nominee 2013 - 2014

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