Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart

Written by: Candace Fleming

Published by: Random House, 2011

ISBN 978-0-375-84198-9

Plot Summary:

“All I wished to do in the world was to be a vagabond in the air.” –Amelia Earhart

This book tells the story of Amelia Earhart’s life and disappearance in alternating chapters. The story begins with her childhood and ends with her mysterious disappearance. Throughout the book, Amelia moves to many new places, witnesses the despair alcoholism can cause on a family, learns to fly airplanes, gets married, attempts a trip around the world, and much more. 

Critical Analysis:

This biography is wonderfully written and well organized. Author Candace Fleming has much experience in writing biographies. Other biographies credited to her are The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary, Ben Franklin’s Almanac: Being a True Account of the Good Gentleman’s Life, and Our Eleanor: A Scrapbook Look at Eleanor Roosevelt’s Remarkable Life. Amelia Lost received starred reviews from Kirkus, Book List, and Horn Book. There is an extensive bibliography at the end of the book to support facts, opinions, quotations and images used in the book. Since Amelia’s disappearance is still a mystery to the world today, there are speculations included in the book, and the speculations are clearly separate from the facts. Amelia Lost contains eighteen chronologically organized chapters; each contains information about either Amelia’s life or her disappearance. The vintage-looking bright red text on the cover is inviting, and the images included in the text support the facts well. Most of the images are photographs of Amelia, her airplanes, and her family. Also included are newspaper clippings, letters written by Amelia, and many other images of primary source materials. Readers are sure to share Fleming’s enthusiasm for Amelia while reading her book. In her note on Navigating History, Fleming writes, “[Amelia] symbolized the new opportunities awaiting women in the twentieth century.” Throughout the chapters, the author includes information in sidebars pertaining to flying, Morse code, and radio signaling. This book is intriguing, haunting, and enjoyable all in one.

Awards and Reviews:

Kirkus Book Review Stars (2011)

School Library Journal Book Review Stars (2011)

Kirkus Reviews: The most intriguing part of Amelia Earhart's life is often thought to be the way it ended. A mysterious disappearance and an unsolved rescue mission is a powerful story on its own. But Fleming digs deeper and shows readers why everyone—from young girls who looked up to her to the First Lady of the United States—cared so much for this daring woman pilot. Chapters alternate between the days surrounding Earhart's fateful crash and her growth from child to trailblazer. The narrative shifts could have been maddening, for suspense reasons alone, but a rhythm is established and the two plotlines gracefully fold into the conclusion. The author also astutely reminds readers that Earhart had a public image to uphold and "took an active role in mythologizing her own life," so even excerpts from Earhart's published works can never be completely trusted. Handwritten notes, photos, maps and inquisitive sidebars (What did Earhart eat during flight? Tomato juice and chocolate) complete this impeccably researched, appealing package. A stunning look at an equally stunning lady. (bibliography, Internet resources, source notes, index) 2011, Schwartz & Wade/Random, 128 pp., $18.99. Category: Nonfiction. Ages 8 to 12. Starred Review. © 2011 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Booklist: Drawing on her training as a historian and her considerable writing talents, Fleming (The Great and Only Barnum, 2009) offers a fresh look at this famous aviatrix. Employing dual narratives—straightforward biographical chapters alternating with a chilling recounting of Earhart’s final flight and the search that followed—Fleming seeks to uncover the “history in the hype,” pointing out numerous examples in which Earhart took an active role in mythologizing her own life. While not disparaging Earhart’s achievements, Fleming cites primary sources revealing that Earhart often flew without adequate preparation and that she and her husband, George Putnam, used every opportunity to promote her celebrity, including soliciting funds from sponsors. The use of a gray-tone background for the disappearance chapters successfully differentiates the narratives for younger readers. Frequent sidebars, well-chosen maps, archival documents, and photos further clarify textual references without disturbing the overall narrative flow. Appended with a generous bibliography and detailed source notes, this is a book most libraries will want both for its fascinating story and as an illustration of how research can alter historical perspective.

Connections: This book can be used across the curriculum in many ways. Students can study the geography of Amelia’s flights by mapping her locations on a world map. The miles can be added up to learn out how far she flew. Since flying is often dependent on the weather, use this book in science to talk about weather patterns and climates around the globe.

Related Titles:

Blair, Margaret Wilson. The Roaring 20: The First Cross Country Air Race for Women. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2006.

Burleigh, Robert. Night Flight: Amelia Earhart Crosses the Atlantic. New York City: Simon & Schuster, 2011.

McLean, Jacqueline. Women With Wings. Minneapolis: Oliver Press, 2001.

Micklos, John. Unsolved: What Really Happened to Amelia Earhart? Berkeley Heights: Enslow, 2006.

Wells, Susan. Amelia Earhart: The Thrill of It. Philadelphia: Running Press, 2009.