by Candace Fleming
For those who love real-life unsolved mysteries, the story of Amelia Earhart and her 1937 doomed flight is one that is gripping and suspenseful as the story of her last flight is intermingled with the hour by hour drama of the day Amelia Earhart, along with her crew member Fred Noonan, disappear over the Pacific Ocean as they were trying to land on a small island to refuel their airplane. Amelia Earhart was a daring young woman who developed a passion for flying at a time when airplane travel was still in its early stages. She succeeds in becoming the first woman to fly solo two thousand miles across the Atlantic Ocean. In her day, Amelia was a huge celebrity who was admired and respected by young and old alike. The pinnacle of her flying career was to take place in 1937. This was the year that Amelia, looking for a greater challenge, sets out to do the seemingly impossible: circumnavigate the globe at its widest point. This would mean flying a total of 27,000 miles round trip. After a successful first leg of the trip, covering 22,000 miles fairly uneventfully, Amelia, along with her highly trained navigator Fred Noonan, were attempting to land on Howland Island. This is a very small strip of land that is only two miles long, and less than a mile wide. The coast guard cutter, Itasca, is standing nearby in order help Earhart spot such a small landmark in the Pacific Ocean. Fuel was beginning to get low, and it was imperative for Earhart to land quickly. Instead, for some unknown reason, she could not spot the island. This is despite the Navy's best efforts at communicating with her - and time was running out fast. Through alternating chapters, Fleming successfully navigates between the Navy's intense efforts to find her, and detailing her childhood experiences which helped to develop the free-spirited woman she later became. Numerous samples of handwritten notes and photographs that bring Amelia back to life are peppered throughout the book. Also intermingled are interesting pieces of trivia such as the food she ate while flying - chocolate and tomato juice! Middle school, high school, and adults will surely learn something interesting, while also feeling very sad that Amelia's string of triumphs concludes without the happy ending.
Recommended for grades 6-12
Reviewed by Rozanne Porter