Amelia Earhart

by Andrew Prentice, Mike Smith (Illustrations)

See how Amelia Earhart went from a little Kansas tomboy to a high-flying feminist icon

Before Amelia Earhart (1897–1939) became a world-famous pilot, she was a little tomboy from Kansas with a taste for adventure. When she visited an airfield and took a short plane ride, she knew she had to be a pilot. She signed up for flying lessons and cropped her hair short so that the other pilots would take her seriously. She became the first woman to make a solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. With each flight she took and each record she broke, Amelia became more and more of a celebrity. Her final flight was intended to be a trip around the whole world, but her plane disappeared after takeoff—and her disappearance is still a mystery today. Inspirational, highly illustrated, and full of adventure, Amelia Earhart tells the story of the feminist icon who changed the world of aviation. It includes a timeline, glossary, and index.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography

160 pages, Hardcover

Published August 13, 2019

Reviews

[Kathy (Bermudaonion) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, illustrated book for young readers. I like the way this volume from the First Names series brings Earhart to life and makes her feel human.

[joyce w. laudon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is the first in a new series. The story of Amelia Earhart is told in a combination of straight text and more cartoon like illustrations. Children who want to learn about living one's dream or who are interested in aviation or women's history, will enjoy this chapter book.

The story starts with young Amelia aka Millie's early years. She was not like the other girls that she knew; Amelia wanted to dress as she wished and to have adventures. At times, she did not fit in. Amelia was also plagued by issues in her family. While her father loved her, he had his own struggles with unemployment and alcohol. Nonetheless, he tried to help Amelia to do the things that she wanted.

Before taking to flying, Amelia witnessed the plight of WWI veterans and did nursing. She enrolled at Columbia University where she hoped to study medicine. However, when her family needed her, she returned to California. It was there that she took her first flight and, as we know, over time became a part of history. Amelia's accomplishments were great. The mystery of her last flight has still not been solved.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this interesting read in return for an honest opinion I now know more about this famous aviatrix than I did.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amelia Earhart (First Name Series) by Andrew Prentice was such an unexpectedly informative and enthralling read! As a Kansan, Amelia Earhart is a historical figure I have always known. While I know some of her story as a female pilot, as well as the tragedy of her death, this was an outstanding deep dive into her life for kids! What I appreciated most was the honesty with which her story was told. It didn't shy away from mentioning some of her struggles with family, and that's a critical part of her story. I also appreciated how it framed up how she came to love flying and what it meant for a woman to take on this pursuit. As I was reading an advanced copy of this one (thanks to Abram Books for that!), I thought I might just do a skim of a story I already knew. Instead, I found a read that invigorated my interest into Amelia's story. This is an incredibly well done biography of Amelia Earhart for kids, and if you're an adult who wants to (re)visit her story, this is also a great place to start!

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first book in the First Name Series. The book allows little readers to learn more about Amelia Earhart's life before she became a world famous pilot. Amelia's love for flying began when she visited an airfield and took a short plane ride. She was a tomboy growing up and had a taste for adventure and that plane ride only fueled her need for adventure more. As Amelia tries to save up money to fly more often, she explores different career opportunities such as, teaching and becoming a nurse.

I usually like reading biographies that are geared towards younger readers as they are usually fun to read. However, I found the writing style to be dull and it felt like I was reading a textbook. I found it hard to engage and keep my interest. I did learn a few interesting things about Amelia and I would be opened to reading other books from the series. I also like that the author included an index, a glossary, and an aviation timeline.

[Lorna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable bio about Amelia that I think middle-grade readers will enjoy. The interspersed illustrations and kid-friendly facts could make it a good series - right now there is also a Harry Houdini one, I assume more are planned? I am curious about the purpose of the seemingly random bolded text throughout. The title page verso explains that italic text is a direct quote, but no rationale for the bold print. It didn't have anything to do with a glossary or anything else. Maybe it helps young readers, but it was baffling to me. I am not particularly interested in reading about Harry Houdini, but I will be checking to see what other bios may come out in this series.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️½

Amelia Earhart by Andrew Prentice is a solid and engaging introduction to one of history’s most iconic figures. The book does a good job of capturing the spirit and determination that made Amelia such a groundbreaking figure in aviation and women’s history. It’s especially well-suited for younger readers or those new to her story.

The writing is accessible and moves at a good pace, covering key moments in her life without getting bogged down in too much technical detail. Prentice brings out Amelia’s courage and sense of adventure in a way that makes her story feel alive and relevant.

That said, the book felt a little surface-level at times. While it covers the basics well, it doesn’t dig too deeply into the more complex aspects of her life, legacy, or the many theories surrounding her disappearance. A bit more depth or nuance would’ve pushed this from a good biography to a great one.

Overall, this is a great starting point for readers looking to learn about Amelia Earhart and her incredible achievements. Inspiring and informative—even if it left me wanting just a bit more.

[Sherri Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Names new non-fiction series has a second offering that became available August 2019 entitled Amelia Earhart, written by Andrew Prentice and illustrated by Mike Smith. Written for middle graders, this chapter book gives lots of detailed information about Amelia Earhart's life and career flying planes. Lots of illustrations are sprinkled throughout the book's pages. Anyone needing to write a book report on Amelia or anyone simply interested in her life will find this book very enlightening and inspiring. From her early years to her disappearance on her last flight that was to take her around the world, AMELIA EARHART will take you on a voyage through her life and teach readers to follow your heart and never give up.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

[Elizabeth Seibel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you #netgalley for giving me a copy of #FirstNamesSeries Amelia Earhart to review. I have other Amelia Earhart books, both a chapter book and a picture book, and this one will fit right in. It fits right in the middle of the chapter book and the picture book. It has the chapters of an older non-fiction book, but also has the cartoonish pictures that some struggling readers still need. I think this is a good step up for those kids.

[Kimberly Tierney · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sadly I did not enjoy this book, and neither did my eleven-year-old. While Amelia Earhart was an incredibly interesting person this book is filled with more irrelevant facts to the readers than is necessary. It was also difficult to read the copy I was given because it had what appeared to be picture captions mixed in with the text of the book, many times mid-sentence.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am enjoying this series! This is the second book I have received from the publisher in exchange for a fair review. I think kids 3rd grade to 6th grade will enjoy this biography of Amelia Earhart. It is fact filled and entertaining and interspersed with illustrations to break up text. Highly readable for book reports or pleasure reading.

[CR · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another title from the First Names Series and I really loved it!! This was told in a combo of normal text as well as comics etc. And it worked so well. It kept me engaged as a young reader and I didn't need a lot of help. I could see this one in the classroom which is where this title is going! I loved learning more about Amelia Earhart as I didn't know who she was before this title.

[Andréa]

Note: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher at ALA Annual 2019.

[Lara Samuels · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light narrative style biography of Amelia Earhart will satisfy the introductory reader. It has an interesting typeset style which sometimes distracts from the information on the page.

[Bibliomama · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read for middle graders.

[Jess Mainous · Rating 4 out of 5]

The audiobook is so good!! It kept mine and my kids’ attention the whole time. Learned so much!

[Sherri Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Names new non-fiction series has a second offering that became available August 2019 entitled Amelia Earhart, written by Andrew Prentice and illustrated by Mike Smith. Written for middle graders, this chapter book gives lots of detailed information about Amelia Earhart's life and career flying planes. Lots of illustrations are sprinkled throughout the book's pages. Anyone needing to write a book report on Amelia or anyone simply interested in her life will find this book very enlightening and inspiring. From her early years to her disappearance on her last flight that was to take her around the world, AMELIA EARHART will take you on a voyage through her life and teach readers to follow your heart and never give up.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This audiobook is pleasantly narrated by Elizabeth Cottle. The details about Earhart's life from youth through her final flight are relevant and interesting. I really enjoyed listening to this one because I learned more about Earhart than I had known before.