Summary:
The biography details Amelia Earhart's life and career from her childhood to her disappearance on July 2, 1937. The chapters are interspersed with an account of the disappearance and subsequent search for her lost plane. Photographs, letters, and other documents correspond to the narrative, and related sidebars appear frequently.
Analysis:
The author explains in the introduction that Earhart's reputation was the result of exaggeration and embellishment, but the biography strives to look past the folklore and tall tales to the unearth the true story of the woman. A table of contents and index help organize the story, and the background of the sections on the disappearance and search are gray to distinguish them from the sequential chapters on Earhart's life. The primary source documents that are reprinted in the appropriate place in the chronology lend visual interest, and the sidebars offer supplementary information. The text is supported by an extensive bibliography and list of websites that provide resources for additional exploration. Fleming's expertise as a biographer shines in the text which is informative and engrossing, artfully depicting a life that needs no embellishment.
The biography details Amelia Earhart's life and career from her childhood to her disappearance on July 2, 1937. The chapters are interspersed with an account of the disappearance and subsequent search for her lost plane. Photographs, letters, and other documents correspond to the narrative, and related sidebars appear frequently.
Analysis:
The author explains in the introduction that Earhart's reputation was the result of exaggeration and embellishment, but the biography strives to look past the folklore and tall tales to the unearth the true story of the woman. A table of contents and index help organize the story, and the background of the sections on the disappearance and search are gray to distinguish them from the sequential chapters on Earhart's life. The primary source documents that are reprinted in the appropriate place in the chronology lend visual interest, and the sidebars offer supplementary information. The text is supported by an extensive bibliography and list of websites that provide resources for additional exploration. Fleming's expertise as a biographer shines in the text which is informative and engrossing, artfully depicting a life that needs no embellishment.
Reviews & Awards:2012 Orbis Pictus Honor
2012 Golden Kite Award for Nonfiction
Kirkus Reviews, starred review: "Handwritten notes, photos, maps and inquisitive sidebars . . . complete this impeccably researched, appealing package. A stunning look at an equally stunning lady."
The Horn Book Magazine, starred review: "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."
School Library Journal, starred review: "What could be a dry recitation of facts and dates is instead a gripping and suspenseful thriller..."
Connections:
Connections:
- Use in Women's History Month display with biographies of other important historic women.
- Highlight as a book club selection to encourage middle grade readers (especially girls) to explore informational texts.
- Visit the websites suggested in the "Finding Amelia on the Web" section.
- Other biographies by Candace Fleming:
Fleming, Candace. 2005. Our Eleanor: a scrapbook look at Eleanor Roosevelt's remarkable life. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0689865449
Fleming, Candace. 2008. The Lincolns: a scrapbook look at Abraham and Mary. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books. ISBN 0375936181
Fleming, Candace. 2003. Ben Franklin's almanac: being a true account of the good gentleman's life. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0689835493
No comments:
Post a Comment