Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart

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Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart

3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 · rating details · 1,466 ratings · 399 reviews

From the acclaimed author of The Great and Only Barnum—as well as The Lincolns, Our Eleanor, and Ben Franklin's Almanac—comes the thrilling story of America's most celebrated flyer, Amelia Earhart.

In alternating chapters, Fleming deftly moves readers back and forth between Amelia's life (from childhood up until her last flight) and the exhaustive search for her and her mi...more

Hardcover, 118 pages

Published February 8th 2011 by Schwartz & Wade

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Newbery 2012

7th out of 136 books — 546 voters

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

Battle of the Kids' Books 2012

2nd out of 22 books — 17 voters

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Jan 27, 2012 Samantha rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I LOVED this book with all my heart! Hands down, one of the best books published for kids in 2011. This biography of Amelia Earhart intersperses the details of her life with the details of her disappearance. The writing is excellent. From the very first page I was hooked and emotionally engrossed. I became worried about Amelia's lack of communication during her last flight and I tore through this book searching for answers. There are many pictures and copies of artifacts (letters etc) and the ch...more

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May 22, 2011 Wendy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-award-possibilities

In 2009 I heard Candace Fleming say--I think she was in the middle of writing this book--that the more she learned about Amelia Earhart, the less she admired her. I think that comes across in the book, though I don't know whether I would have noticed it or thought about it if I hadn't remembered her saying that. Earhart is a moderately interesting person, but not always for the reasons one might want. I thought it was especially clear that Fleming wasn't thrilled by Earhart carrying on with a ma...more

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Jan 11, 2011 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction

I love learning something I didn't know, and in this bio I found out that Amelia was the Lady Gaga of her time in terms of self-promotion. I had no idea how carefully she crafted her image, down to curling her straight hair, which she let the public believe was naturally tousled and windblown. I was left with two questions at the end, tho, which were did she ever meet Charles Lindbergh and how DOES one go to the bathroom on those long plane rides?

Also at Reading Rants: http://www.readingrants.o ...more

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Apr 20, 2013 Jan Rue added it

Shelves: ed-689-books

Written by Candace Fleming, 2011. This book caught my eye as I looked at the list of books we were to pick from. I have always wondered about her as a historical figure but not enought to read something about her before. I did like how the author, Candace Fleming set up the book. It was like there were two set of informational stories going on at once. It started out with the the ship waiting for her so she could refuel and what transpired during this time. Then the book switched to tell Amelia'...more

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Apr 08, 2013 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult-lit-13-25

The legend of Amelia Earhart seems to grow more and more mysterious with each passing year, and with it the true woman Amelia Earhart was gets lost in translation. In Amelia Lost Candace Fleming examines who the real Amelia Earhart was, and how she came to be seen as one of the most influential, and interesting, women in the past century. Beginning with her childhood and ending with her mysterious disappearance the reader gets a up-close and personal look at the women named Amelia Earhart.

The st...more

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Apr 08, 2013 Taya Mills rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: second-13-reads

This book is basically the biography of Amelia Earhart, made accessible to young readers. It describes the life of Amelia from birth to her death. In seperate sections throughout the book it tells about Amelia's death and her last flight and her disappearance. Readers discover, through the other sections, how her last flight came to be. It introduces readers to her family struggles in childhood, interest in aviation, popularity through the media, and her adult life as a wife and pilot.

I actuall...more

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Mar 22, 2013 Summer Cull rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. "Amelia Lost" is the biography of the great female pilot, Amelia Earhart. She was born and spent much of her childhood in Kansas, although she lived with her grandmother about 50 miles from the rest of her family. However, at the age of 11 Amelia’s family moved to Iowa and continued to move around the country due to her father’s drinking problem. Amelia was a “tomboy” from the very beginning, always breaking traditional female molds. She wore bloomers, jumped fences, played sports, and didn’t l...more "Amelia Lost" is the biography of the great female pilot, Amelia Earhart. She was born and spent much of her childhood in Kansas, although she lived with her grandmother about 50 miles from the rest of her family. However, at the age of 11 Amelia’s family moved to Iowa and continued to move around the country due to her father’s drinking problem. Amelia was a “tomboy” from the very beginning, always breaking traditional female molds. She wore bloomers, jumped fences, played sports, and didn’t like to be told, “no.” This tendency was reoccurring throughout her life, leading to her desire to go to college and eventually fly airplanes. The ironic thing about Earhart’s flying career was that she wasn’t particularly skilled at flying an airplane. Several of her colleagues and coaches thought she lacked many basic skills, though she never lacked confidence. Much of Earhart’s perceived success came from the publicity she received, thanks to publisher George Putnam. Putnam was the man who essentially made Earhart’s career, helping her to be the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. Putnam, who eventually married Earhart, kept her in the public eye by scheduling her for lectures, writing books, and be an endorser of products. Earhart continued to fly and break records until she came up with the idea of flying completely around the world; an attempt she failed at. Today, the mystery of Amelia Earhart’s disappearance almost rivals the legacy of her life.
The criteria for The Orbis Pictus award is accuracy, organization, design, and style and "Amelia Lost" contains all of these characteristics. For example, the way the book is organized is primarily chronological, but periodically we read a portion about the day Earhart’s plane went missing. This breaks up the potentially slow reading of facts with spurts of suspense and excitement. The book also is a great demonstration of style because it was written almost like a novel, making Earhart seem more relatable than a historical figure in a textbook. Even though I know the outcome of the search for Earhart’s plane, I still found myself on the edge of my seat, hoping the search party would find her. The author portrayed Amelia in a very non-biased way. In other books I had read of Earhart’s flying career, they mostly exalted her. However, author Candace Fleming showed the positive and negative side of the female flyer. We saw her desire to help others, but we also saw her weakness for fame. We experienced her sense of adventure, but we also saw the downfalls of her over-confidence. "Amelia Lost" is a well-rounded novel, portraying Amelia Earhart, her career, and her relationships in an honest and raw way.
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Mar 13, 2013 Shaun rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: eng356-2nd-half

Through the use of first hand accounts and interesting details, we learn the story of Amelia Earhart's unique life and mysterious disappearance. From her humble beginnings as a tomboy to her outlandish publicity stunts as a woman in the spotlight, she was certainly different from others. She wanted to be a vagabond of the air, and she certainly accomplished that by putting everything she had into flying. As the story comes to the inevitable conclusion, you want so badly for the ending to change....more

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Mar 11, 2013 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2nd-half

A highly enjoyable read - much more than I thought it would be. I enjoyed terribly the romance (view spoiler), which is odd, considering this is a non-fictional work. I grew up in gradeschool hearing about Amelia Earhart, and I never really gave a toot... Until I read this book.

It is very expertly arranged - the drama that unfolds is absolutely gripping, to say the least. How is this accomplished,...more

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Mar 04, 2013 Azure rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-13-25

Amelia Lost is a biography of the woman pilot Amelia Earhart. In her childhood, Amelia was often doing things that were considered 'unladylike' and would want to do what the boys were able to do- despite her grandmother's lectures. Her happy childhood fell apart when her father became a drunk, and she learned that you couldn't always rely on other people, some things you had to do yourself. When Amelia was older, she got into flying- a field usually occupied by men. She broke a number of aviatio...more

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Nov 05, 2012 Joe-bob Chavez rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1-12

Amelia was the type of girl who liked climbing fences, getting dirty, and playing sports. Today many girls do, but in 1900's that wasn't done. Amelia pushed boundaries. Amelia Lost captures not only the last day and hours of the life of Amelia, but her life. It grips you with the true story events and then breaks into biography, leaving you on cliffhangers every time. If know the story you already know how the book ends, but it's captivating enough to still catch a reader.

This book is good for...more

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Oct 30, 2012 Millie Shumway rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1-12

Amelia Lost is the biographical story of Amelia Earheart, written in such a way as to be enjoyable even for young adults to read. It follows Amelia's life including details not commonly known. For example, Amelia's father was a drunk. Amelia's "tousled" look was not natural, but carefully curled and kept. The book alternates between the chronological, biographical information about Amelia on white pages,and the exciting and tragic story of her final flight spread throughout the book on gray page...more

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Oct 29, 2012 Hyeonjeongshin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1-12

This book has a story about a famous female pilot, Amelia Earhart. The genre of the book is biography, non-fiction so that the book includes Amelia’s life as a child, a woman (wife), and a pilot, and it also has a content of search for her and her plane with photos, maps, and notes from Amelia herself. The book might give readers, especially young women, a deep impression as it shows the different thoughts and decisions that Amelia had decided as she was an independent woman when compared with o...more

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Oct 23, 2012 Jordan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-1-12

Even at a young age, Amelia Earhart was reckless and daring. She would build tiny roller coasters and hop fences. She didn't care what people thought about her and pretty much just did what she wanted. Amelia Lost is an autobiography that explains the life of Amelia Earhart and what led to her mysterious demise.

The book is told in two ways. The white chapters of the book talk about Amelia's life and how she became who she is known as today. The much smaller gray chapters talk about what happened...more

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Oct 23, 2012 Carole Elliott rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1-12

Amelia Lost is an interesting and entertaining take of the life of Amelia Earhart. It is a biography, but it written as an actual book. It also contains pictures and documents and stories of Ameliaʻs childhood. It is a different take on her life because it covers facts and stories that are not often spoken of, such as her frequent flying mistakes and near-death experiences, and her refusal to learn how to work the radio. The biography speaks of her life and how she decided to become a pilot. It...more

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Oct 23, 2012 Allison Evans added it

Shelves: 1-12

We are all familiar with the story of Amelia Earhart. But we might be surprised by some of the background and details of her story not so widely known. At the opening of Amelia Lost we read the dialogue of the people trying to contact Earhart's radio from the Itasca station. It is haunting to see the last known contact of Earhart before she disappears forever. After reading this Fleming starts at the beginning of young Amelia's life. The rest of the novel jumps back and forth between the course...more

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Oct 23, 2012 Austa Knutson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1-12

This is a biography that outlines in great detail the life events of Amelia Earhart. Beginning with her birth and childhood and outlining clear until her mysterious disappearance, we are given insights into Amelia's character and personality as the history behind her aviation interest and career are explained. Recorded accounts of the radio transmissions some received from Amelia are also included in the text, as are various photos and documents from newspaper articles and Amelia's personal life...more

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Oct 22, 2012 Nichelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1-12

Amelia Lost is a biography written about the famous female aviator Amelia Earhart. Candace Fleming expertly navigates the roads between fact and myth surrounding Miss Earhart's life in a book that chronicles Amelia's life from childhood to adulthood. Snippets of the story of her loss to the sea scattered through the biography help keep the book fast paced and keep the reader hooked, while plenty of pictures help illustrate the life of the pilot.

I am definitely not the kind of person who would u...more

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Oct 22, 2012 Callie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1-12

This book goes through the life and the disappearance of Amelia Earhart. Flemming provides a biography of Earhart's life both personally and her flying career. She creates a very neutral biography that seems to read like a story as it merges her final flight in with stories of her family and personal life prior to the flight. It gives new information not usually taught in the classroom. Flemming debunks untrue myths as well as providing plausible theories for different aspects of Earhart's life...more

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Oct 21, 2012 Kelsey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1-12

Amelia Earheart. Lost at sea and forever remembered as the courageous woman who ventured to do what no women would. From her early childhood adventures and audacious attitude toward life, Flemming captures Amelia unlike any other author. Encompassing the good, bad, and the ugly, Amelia is shed in a light not known to most and truly manages to capture the reader without laying down any bias.
There were many things I didn't know about Mrs. Earheart until I read this book and I'm sorry to say that...more

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Oct 15, 2012 Esther rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1-12

In this review of Amelia Earharts exciting life, Candace Fleming uses many different sources to piece together a round view of the famous aviatrix. Using pictures and interesting facts, this photo biography is an interesting read, and make you wonder what really happened to Amelia. The story goes through her entire life, from birth to disappearance, with chapters in between explaining her mysterious disappearance and the search that ensued afterwards. This enlightening telling of Amelia's many a...more

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Sep 26, 2012 Nancy Anderson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1-12

Seeing a picture of Amelia Earhart makes you think she's adventurous and poised but there is so much more. As a toddler and up she would spend a few months at her grandma's. It was a happy time in her life but she was expected to act like a lady. Well, Amelia didn't agree with that philosphy and found a way to do what she wanted. Her mom told her she couldnt ride a roller coaster so she went ahead and built one herself. She got her father to buy her a boys' sled and a gun. Aventure was definite...more

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Sep 04, 2012 Erin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-nonfiction, non-fiction, children-nonfiction

Amelia Lost was a fascinating and personal telling of Amelia Earhart’s life and the dramatic search following her disappearance. Fleming begins her book describing the crew on land and on the ship Itasca awaiting Earhart’s arrival on the small Howland Island in the Pacific Ocean. This was to be Earhart’s final stop before arriving in California to become the first pilot (male or female) to circumnavigate the globe at its widest point, the equator. It is in this first chapter that the dramatic mo...more

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Aug 27, 2012 Patricia Hruby Powell rated it 5 of 5 stars

“Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart,” by Candace Fleming (Schwartz & Wade 2011) begins with Amelia being lost somewhere on the Pacific Ocean on the last leg of her historic round-the-world flight--1937. Chapter two begins with Amelia’s birth, then being raised by her ladylike grandmother—1897.
The book alternates between the harrowing days at the end of her life with the story of how she became Amelia Earhart, America’s darling and the renowned female pilot in the new a...more “Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart,” by Candace Fleming (Schwartz & Wade 2011) begins with Amelia being lost somewhere on the Pacific Ocean on the last leg of her historic round-the-world flight--1937. Chapter two begins with Amelia’s birth, then being raised by her ladylike grandmother—1897.
The book alternates between the harrowing days at the end of her life with the story of how she became Amelia Earhart, America’s darling and the renowned female pilot in the new aviation age. We discover how Amelia was a phenomenon of publicity—the result of George Putnam’s skill at publicizing her charm, enthusiasm and determination, then marrying her.
Amelia was neither careful nor the most skilled woman aviator. On her first Atlantic flight, for which she gained much publicity, Amelia made decisions but did not actually pilot the plane. In a woman’s aviation cross-country race, Amelia in the fastest plane, finished third. An airplane manufacturer would not even sell her the aircraft she most wanted because she was not skilled enough to pilot it.
We discover that Amelia’s character was, in part, built on her father’s decline into severe alcoholism. That she was a combination of tomboy and fashion maverick. That she was fiercely independent and publishing magnate George Putnam courted her for years before she agreed to marry him.
As you read about the early years of aviation, you’re amazed at how frequently the equipment fails, fuel leaks or fires start on the wings. Early flight is not an activity for the faint hearted. Amelia was courageous to the point of being fool-hearty. For her final ill-fated flight, she was still learning to fly her Electra and hadn’t learned to use her radio equipment, which was her undoing.
It is heartbreaking to discover that amateur short wave radio operators heard Amelia’s pleas for help as she was apparently downed in the Pacific, probably floating on the sea. A housewife from Texas never reported to the authorities her radio-contact with Amelia, figuring the authorities had it under control. A teenager in Florida could not convince the authorities of her hearing Amelia calling for help. A teenager in Wyoming rushed to the authorities to report his findings, which were reported to the scout ship Itasca—to no avail.
This well-researched and suspenseful story is one reason we continue to care about the charming daring Amelia Earhart.

Patricia Hruby Powell (www.talesforallages.com) is a nationally touring speaker, dancer, storyteller, librarian and children’s book author. Find out more about this book on her blog at www.talesforallages.com/reviews/
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Aug 13, 2012 Sharon is currently reading it

Shelves: common-core, dcf-2012-2013

I'm working on my CC fifth-grade reading and writing standards. Amelia Lost by Candace Fleming is a DCF book for 2012-2013. This book has a Lexile of 930 -- a stretch text for fifth graders. For this chapter I will work on key ideas and details for reading (R1, R2) and text types and purposes (W1). See standards below.

In the beginning of Chapter 2, author Candace Fleming quotes famous pilot Amelia Earhart as saying, "It is best to begin at the beginning," but the author doesn't take this advice....more I'm working on my CC fifth-grade reading and writing standards. Amelia Lost by Candace Fleming is a DCF book for 2012-2013. This book has a Lexile of 930 -- a stretch text for fifth graders. For this chapter I will work on key ideas and details for reading (R1, R2) and text types and purposes (W1). See standards below.

In the beginning of Chapter 2, author Candace Fleming quotes famous pilot Amelia Earhart as saying, "It is best to begin at the beginning," but the author doesn't take this advice. Instead, the book starts with an author's note about how Earhart and her husband perpetuated myths about the pilot to maintain and enhance her image as a heroine. One of the myths was that she first observed an airplane in 1908 at age 11 while attending the Iowa State Fair. The author explains how this could not be true because the Wright Brothers and Henri Farman of France were the only pilots of the time and they weren't flying in Iowa in 1908. In another example the author explains how Earhart curled her hair every morning while pretending to have naturally curly hair. The author discusses how it is difficult to discern fact from fiction, especially when the subject is intentionally creating myths, as Earhart did. Then after the author's note, comes Chapter 1, titled "July 2nd, 1937: The Morning Hours." Frankly, I found this chapter confusing as I read about her flight over the Pacific to Howland Island to refuel. "Wait," I thought, "isn't this about her disappearance?" I skipped to the final paragraph of the chapter, which reads: "Where, they wondered, was Amelia Earhart?" "Hmmm," I thought, "where is the writer going with this?" I started reading Chapter 2.

Why does Fleming elect not to "begin at the beginning"? Maybe Chapter 1 is hook. After rereading the chapter, I learned how finding Howland Island from the air is difficult. Fleming supports this idea by giving the island's dimensions. The Pacific island was only 2 miles long and a half mile wide. Furthermore, she tells us that a Coast Guard ship was in the area to aid Earhart's landing by turning on searchlights at midnight. Fleming builds the tension of the chapter by detailing the radio messages between the ship and Earhart -- with the first messages heard at 2:45 a.m. and the last at 8:45 a.m. Earhart's first message is "Cloudy and overcast." The author explains that she was calm. The rest of the message is lost due to static. The ship's radioman says at one point that he is unclear whether the ship's messages are getting through to Earhart. At one point they lost contact for 30 minutes. At another point they lost contact for 45 minutes. The messages become increasingly disturbing. The writer quotes Leo Bellarts, one of the ship's radio crew, who sensed the pilot's despair. "I'm telling you, it sounded like she would have broken out in a scream. ... She was just about ready to break into tears and go into hysterics ... I'll never forget it." Fleming's depiction of this scene hooked me as a reader.

So, why the author's note? Sometimes author's notes are in the front of the book; sometimes they are in the back of the book. I am curious about the juxtaposition of the author's note and the first chapter. I am wondering about Earhart's mysterious disappearance in light of the author's discussion of fact versus fiction throughout the pilot's life. Will the author comment on the facts of the pilot's disappearance before the book ends?

Even though Fleming quotes Earhart about the importance of beginning at the beginning, as a writer Fleming knows the greater importance of a good hook. So, instead of focusing Chapter 1 on Amelia's childhood, she launches into the mysterious disappearance of the famous pilot and then writes Chapter 2 about Earhart's early life. The opening chapter not only outlines the difficult landing that Earhart was attempting, but also creates tension, showing how static interfered with radio messages between the pilot and the ship's radio crewmen. She ends the chapter with the poignant question: "Where, they wondered, was Amelia Earhart?" ... so her readers will want to know more.

Reading standards could be: (1) Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. (2) Determine two or more main ideas of the text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text. The writing standards could be (1) Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information. (a) Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which ideas are logically grouped to support the writer's purpose. (b) Provide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details. (c) Link opinion and reasons using words, phrases, and clauses.
(d) Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented.(less)

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Jun 22, 2012 Karrie K added it

Shelves: print-reference-collection

Name: Karrie Kennett

Title and Citation:
Fleming, C. (2011). Amelia lost: The life and disappearance of Amelia Earhart. New York, NY: Schwartz & Wade.

Type of Reference: Bibliography and Biographical Reference

Call Number: 921 Ear

Brief Description: This biographical reference contains variety information about Amelia Earhart and the journey that made her famous. It references many newspapers of the time regarding the search for her after her disappearance and demonstrates the use of many prima...more

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Apr 25, 2012 Annalee Schnebele rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: best-of-the-best, nonfiction

After reading some very disappointing YA nonfiction, this book really stands out. The book is organized so that it starts with Amelia's disappearance and then flashes back to her childhood. The flashbacks between the search for the missing aviatrix and her life means that the book moves very quickly and maintains a sense of suspense throughout the novel. And, besides really enjoying reading the book, I also learned a lot about Amelia Earhart. Teens will be able to recognize how Amelia cultivated...more

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Apr 23, 2012 Jessica Scranton rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: eced221

Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart was written by Candace Fleming. It is a story about the life of Amelia Earhart, something I was never familiar with before. The book talks in detail about her life and events leading up to her crash and disappearance.
I thought this book was pretty interesting. I never really knew much about Amelia Earhart so I found the book extremely informative as well. The events were very accurate and the author did a good job describing the differe...more

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Apr 20, 2012 Kimberly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen-booktalks

This is more than a dry “here’s the life of Amelia Earhart” story. If you want to know what she was like, what she was really like, you’ll find it here. She was a girl with a dream and penchant for adventure. And while she and her husband were brilliant publicists, it turns out she wasn’t very good at planning.
It starts out telling how a ship was waiting to direct Amelia to the island where they built a short runway and a place for her to refuel before the last leg of her trip around the world....more This is more than a dry “here’s the life of Amelia Earhart” story. If you want to know what she was like, what she was really like, you’ll find it here. She was a girl with a dream and penchant for adventure. And while she and her husband were brilliant publicists, it turns out she wasn’t very good at planning.
It starts out telling how a ship was waiting to direct Amelia to the island where they built a short runway and a place for her to refuel before the last leg of her trip around the world. The island was tiny, a mere 2 miles long and a half a mile wide, so they employed beacons of light at night and billowing smoke from the ship during the day to signal her. After some attempts to contact her failed, they heard Amelia report “Partly cloudy” over her radio, and then she reported through some static that she was 100 miles out. The radiomen on board the ship desperately tried to locate her. But at 8:45 am, they heard Amelia’s last frantic radio transmission alerting the crew to her location. She should have been right over the island, but they had no sight of her. Then, in the radio room, the crew heard nothing but “the mournful sound of that static.”
Then we are taken back to Amelia’s childhood, where she tried explaining her love of airplanes, and “of liking all kinds of sports and games and not being afraid to try those that, back then, were looked upon as being only for boys.” She said there was something inside her that always liked to try new things.
Infused with many quotes from Amelia herself, we feel like Amelia herself could have written this book for us. We learn about her best friends, her school life (there’s even a photo of one of her report cards!). We learn how her family visited the World’s Fair in 1905, where her mother wouldn’t allow Amelia to ride the roller coaster, declaring it too dangerous for a young girl. Did that stop her? No! Amelia returned home and built her own coaster in the yard, with wooden boards and baby buggy wheels.
Interspersed throughout the stories of Amelia’s childhood years, we hear stories of her last flight, and the strange radio signals received by folks across America, starting with Mabel, a homemaker in Texas, who was listening to an overseas radio program and claims to have heard Amelia’s distress signals over the airwaves.
We learn about how Amelia just knew she had to fly; we meet her flying instructor who charged a dollar a minute for the lessons. Amelia was strong-headed and insisted she do things her own way, and in doing so, she made some dangerous mistakes, like not checking her fuel levels. She was also very much into looking the part of the pilot – in fact, after an early plane wreck caused by her own stubbornness, she crawled out the wreckage only to be seen powdering her nose so they could look nice if reporters arrived.
By the end of the story, we are on the edge of our seats during the search and rescue, and you are left thinking that somehow she will have been found and is the one telling us her tale. Thrilling, detailed, loads of personal stories from the people who knew her, and plenty of pictures to make us feel like we knew her, too.
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Apr 19, 2012 Jane Woodside rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: eced-221

Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart by Candace Fleming is a non-fiction book about Amelia Earhart’s story. The story begins with the birth of Amelia, and tells her entire life story up until her disappearance. You find out a lot about her life and how many difficulties she had in her family such as her father’s drinking issue and her parents divorce. However, she was a very adventurous and courageous woman who was always flying!

The setting of this book was clearly indentif...more

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About Candace Fleming

I have always been a storyteller. Even before I could write my name, I could tell a good tale. And I told them all the time. As a preschooler, I told my neighbors all about my three-legged cat named Spot. In kindergarten, I told my classmates about the ghost that lived in my attic. And in first grade I told my teacher, Miss Harbart, all about my family's trip to Paris, France.

I told such a good st...more I have always been a storyteller. Even before I could write my name, I could tell a good tale. And I told them all the time. As a preschooler, I told my neighbors all about my three-legged cat named Spot. In kindergarten, I told my classmates about the ghost that lived in my attic. And in first grade I told my teacher, Miss Harbart, all about my family's trip to Paris, France.

I told such a good story that people always thought I was telling the truth. But I wasn't. I didn't have a three-legged cat or a ghost in my attic, and I'd certainly never been to Paris, France. I simply enjoyed telling a good story... and seeing my listener's reaction.

Sure, some people might have said I was a seven-year old fibber. But not my parents. Instead of calling my stories "fibs" they called them "imaginative." They encouraged me to put my stories down on paper. I did. And amazingly, once I began writing, I couldn't stop. I filled notebook after notebook with stories, poems, plays. I still have many of those notebooks. They're precious to me because they are a record of my writing life from elementary school on.

In second grade, I discovered a passion for language. I can still remember the day my teacher, Miss Johnson, held up a horn-shaped basket filled with papier-mache pumpkins and asked the class to repeat the word "cornucopia." I said it again and again, tasted the word on my lips. I tested it on my ears. That afternoon, I skipped all the way home from school chanting, "Cornucopia! Cornucopia!" From then on, I really began listening to words—to the sounds they made, and the way they were used, and how they made me feel. I longed to put them together in ways that were beautiful, and yet told a story.

As I grew, I continued to write stories. But I never really thought of becoming an author. Instead, I went to college where I discovered yet another passion—history. I didn't realize it then, but studying history is really just an extension of my love of stories. After all, some of the best stories are true ones — tales of heroism and villainy made more incredible by the fact they really happened.

After graduation, I got married and had children. I read to them a lot, and that's when I discovered the joy and music of children's books. I simply couldn't get enough of them. With my two sons in tow, I made endless trips to the library. I read stacks of books. I found myself begging, "Just one more, pleeeeease!" while my boys begged for lights-out and sleep. Then it struck me. Why not write children's books? It seemed the perfect way to combine all the things I loved: stories, musical language, history, and reading. I couldn't wait to get started.

But writing children's books is harder than it looks. For three years I wrote story after story. I sent them to publisher after publisher. And I received rejection letter after rejection letter. Still, I didn't give up. I kept trying until finally one of my stories was pulled from the slush pile and turned into a book. My career as a children's author had begun.(less)

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