Nonfiction Review #1

Book Review For:

Fleming, Candace. 2011. AMELIA LOST: THE LIFE AND DISAPPEARANCE OF AMELIA EARHART. 1st ed. ed. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books. ISBN 9780375841989

            At first glance, a reader may think this black, white, and gray book is too lengthy and dry, but don’t be fooled! The black and white photos help lend an air of authenticity to the times in which Amelia Earhart lived, and there are plenty of interesting photos throughout. The gray pages help the reader identify the time period when Amelia went missing and lure the reader in right away with suspense. The white pages tell all about her life in a way that is not stilted, but includes ordinary details like how she pinned her map to her pant leg while in the cockpit or how she cut her hair an inch every day so that her family wouldn’t be subjected to a dramatic change. These ordinary details help readers connect with Amelia. By switching back and forth from the gray pages to the white pages, Fleming keeps readers engaged and mindful of Amelia’s mysterious disappearance.

            Subheadings are clearly written and even photos and excerpts are labeled and placed appropriately, giving readers a welcomed variation and break from the main text. For example, there is a side note in gray labeled “Amelia’s Teacher” that includes a brief, refreshing description of Neta Snook, a photo of Neta, and the photo’s caption “Neta Snook posing with her Canuck (Fleming, 2011, p. 35).”

            Fleming has created a truly wonderful biography with source notes and references to verify details, and she begins her book by stating what a tremendous job it was to sort out fact from fiction. Not only were there ample, made up stories about this legend, but it seems that Amelia herself was prone to fibbing to enhance her public image. It is refreshing that Fleming presents us with facts and, when in doubt, states her doubt to let readers come to their own conclusions.

            For follow-up activites, an educator could segue into Geography by having students plot Amelia’s flight paths on a global map. For a Writing activity, students could be given the prompt to write a story in which knowing the Morse Code saved the main characters. A Venn Diagram could be created to help students distinguish facts from speculations or rumors, etc.

            AMELIA LOST has won the 2012 Golden Kite Award for Nonfiction (“Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart, Awards and Honors”, n.d.) and the Kirkus Reviews states, “Handwritten notes, photos, maps and inquisitive sidebars… complete this impeccably researched, appealing package (“Book Review: Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart, n.d.).” Also, the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books states, “Fleming cleverly structures this biography to give the tale of tragedy a fresh and dreadful impact…(“Book Review: Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart, n.d.).”

 

References

"Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart, Awards and Honors." Candacefleming.com., accessed October 28, 2013, http://www.candacefleming.com/books/bk_amelia.html.

“Book Review: Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart.” Candacefleming.com, accessed October 28, 2013, http://www.candacefleming.com/books/bk_amelia_rev1.html.

 

 

Fleming, Candace. 2011. AMELIA LOST: THE LIFE AND DISAPPEARANCE OF AMELIA EARHART. 1st ed. ed. New York: Schwartz& Wade Books.