A review by pkadams
Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart by Candace Fleming

4.0

The innovative structure and captivating beginning make this biography a worthy read. It combined a traditional children's biography with the dramatization of the final hours and the documentary style of explaining various aspects of culture, technology, etc. in text boxes. The dramatization drew in the reader beautifully. I can see it capturing children. I also loved how Fleming showed the "branding" aspects of Amelia and was even handed with some of her more ruthless actions. Despite having written a biography on Amelia Earhart when I was a child, I learned a lot from this book. There were some great websites and other tie ins as well.

This story, though fascinating and innovative, doesn't have the same depth or illuminate the fortitude of the hero as clearly that Latham was able to convey in Carry On, Mr. Bowditch (a children's biography that won the Newbery Medal). I'm thinking this book will receive an honor, but not the medal.