Amelia Earhart

by John Parlin

"Women must try to do things as men have tried. "

When she was eight years old, Amelia Earhart built a roller coaster and "flew" through the air.  She loved to watch daredevil pilots fly loops in the sky.  Amelia decided to pilot a plane herself, and became one of the first women to learn to fly.  She broke flight records and in 1932 was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean alone.  The whole world admired her courage and daring.  Amelia Earhart disappeared while trying to set a new record flying all the way around the world at the equator, but her pioneer spirit inspired many others to follow in her path.

Genres: Biography

80 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1991

Reviews

[Ann Marie Olson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personal reaction:
I liked this biography of Amelia Earhart because it was told in a story format. It was not like a typical, factual biography. The author made Amelia’s story more fun to read by formatting it as a mini chapter book. I liked how there was a lot of dialogue and the book showed Amelia’s interactions with others.

Read aloud:
I think this could definitely be a read aloud book for 3rd or 4th graders. I think it would be perfect to use in a history unit about Amelia Earhart and her being the first woman to fly across the world. This biography could also teach some geography because the story talks about the different parts of the world Amelia flew over. A teacher could read this biography aloud with a world map near by to point out where Amelia flew.

Independent reading:
3rd or 4th grade
This could also be an independent read for elementary students as well. This would be a perfect book to use for research on an important historical figure. The dialogue shows another side of the story and would keep the reader hooked because it is in story format, not just a list of facts.

Literary elements:
This biography could help teach character development and theme. The students can keep track of the descriptors of Amelia and the people in her life and how she interacts with them. The book could also reinforce theme and students should be asked what they think the theme of Amelia’s life was and how it was portrayed in the book.

[Travis Kesinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personal Reaction:
I really enjoyed reading a biography of Amelia Earhart. I haven't read or researched about her since I was in elementary school so this was a nice refresher. The format of this book made it much more appealing and easy to read. It was not set up fact-by-fact, but rather in mini-chapters. This book took Amelia's experiences and interactions with other people into account and that was a very desirable element to me. I think this book is a great addition to any school, especially a Kansas school!

Purpose/Use in the Classroom:
Read aloud:
This book could be read aloud to students in 3rd or 4th grade. There are a variety of places that I think this book could be implemented. First of all, in a history unit; from aviation, to women's rights, to conspiracy theories Amelia Earhart would be a great example for all of these concepts. This book could even segway between history and science, talking about her role in American history and the science behind aviation.
Independent reading:
Again, this would be most appropriate for students in the 3rd or 4th grade. This book would be a great book to independently read during a research project outside of just sheer enjoyment. Students would love planes, flying, powerful women in history, and history in general would enjoy reading this book.

[Katelan Mccullum · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose to use this book as an informational book to integrate with a social studies lesson on great discoveries in our history. I think it is important that children are exposed to information and great discoveries of the past. This particular book not only gives information about Amelia Earhart, but also information about how life and technology was during this particular time period (1900's). Students should be aware of how far we have come in society from many years ago up until now. This book depicts Amelia and her triumph in being the first female to fly across the Atlantic by herself. After reading this book, I would have students create a journal entry in which they would pretend to make some kind of new discovery/contribution to society and provide information on their challenges as well as successes. Students will also be responsible for giving details/information on what their new invention, discovery, or contribution entails.

[Caroline Fields · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Biography
Awards:
Audience: 2-4th
A. This is a complete biography because Amelia's whole life is spanned during this book from early childhood to her mysterious disappearance as an adult.
B. This is a fictionalized narrative of what Amelia's life was probably like. There are a lot of conversations that obviously were fictionalized because there would be no record of them. There are lots of accurate facts and occurrences throughout the book however.
C. Where is Amelia Earhart now? How exactly did she disappear?

[Aziza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amelia Earhart bounced in the air and turned some result as her home made roller coaster hit the ground. But she still through it was so fun. Also I’ so happy about this because the book is about the pilot who became the first woman to fly alone across the Atlantic Ocean and the first woman to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross. Isn’t it great thing when a women become a pilot and I think by reading this book it is making me to become a pilot.

[Karen]

Try to combine bookshelf to look at different ways different authors look at strong women.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

In2books - Biography Unit

[Joshua Leth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really like this book!