(3) 4-6 In 1967, twelve-year-old Bea joins her grandmother Pidge on a secret trip to her childhood home in Kansas, where Pidge hopes to reunite with her long-lost sister, aviatrix Amelia Earhart. En route, Bea bonds with Pidge and also develops an appreciation for her own newly blended family. Strong character development and a clever historical mystery make for a satisfying read. Contextual notes appended. Bib.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) K-3 Cub Reporter Meets Famous Americans series. Illustrated by Doug Jones. Cub Reporter "interviews" American figures who overcame challenges to achieve their goals. Each subject responds to simplistic questions about his or her complicated life (e.g., "What did you think about being a slave?" in Douglass) in a hokey first-person voice. Cartoons of a microphone-holding bear cub alternate with captioned photos or illustrations that extend information. The premise may work for reluctant readers. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Cub Reporter Meets Famous Americans titles: What's Your Story, Amelia Earhart?, What's Your Story, Paul Revere?, What's Your Story, Susan B. Anthony?, and What's Your Story, Frederick Douglass?.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(4) K-3 Leaders Doing Headstands series. Illustrated by Oksana Grivina. These two informative texts in a new series about the childhoods of famous people contain somewhat advanced vocabulary and a mix of direct quotes (in bold) and imagined dialogue. Ballesteros's cartoonish style downplays the serious experiences that shaped Martin Luther King Jr.; Grivina's illustrations (Earhart) are more well matched. Afterwords and Common Core–focused discussion questions are included. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Leaders Doing Headstands titles: When Amelia Earhart Built a Roller Coaster and When Martin Luther King Jr. Wore Roller Skates.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Daniela Volpari. With spare text and dynamic, stylized illustrations, this Italian import depicts a young girl named Amelia confidently proclaiming her intent to fly someday. The big square trim provides space for the feisty heroine to swoop across full-bleed double spreads. An endnote (without references) on Amelia Earhart broadly contextualizes this little Amelia's adventures, which include a jarring off-message moment in which she receives a gun.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(3) K-3 Ordinary People Change the World series. Illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos. In these chatty, first-person-narrated biographies, entertainment value trumps historical rigor: Earhart says, "That was AWESOME!"; young Lincoln declares, "I'm gonna be on the penny someday"; and both subjects are depicted as children even after they become adults. The cartoony digital illustrations recall Calvin and Hobbes comics. Each small-trim book ends with words of wisdom from its subject and vintage images. Review covers these Ordinary People Change the World titles: I Am Abraham Lincoln and I Am Amelia Earhart.

Reviewer: Chelsey Philpot

(3) K-3 National Geographic Readers series. These leveled beginning-reader biographies are lively and filled with colorful photographs and illustrations. Energetically designed with many sidebars and graphics, each well-organized volume gives a sense of the time in which the person lived in addition to his or her life and accomplishments. Longer and at the highest reading level, Anne Frank contains an index. Timeline. Glos. Review covers these National Geographic Super Readers titles: Amelia Earhart, George Washington, Thomas Edison, and Anne Frank.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Wendell Minor. Burleigh's vivid free-verse account of Earhart's 1932 flight from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland, the first-ever solo transatlantic flight by a woman, settles into the cockpit and describes what the legendary pilot might have seen and felt during that long, tense, exhilarating trip. Minor's paintings heighten the immediacy, depicting Earhart's blazing red Vega in both long shots and close-ups. Websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2011

(1) 4-6 Fleming begins her gripping narrative aboard the Itasca, a ship helping guide Earhart to Howland Island for refueling. The text then backs up to explore Amelia's life. Interspersed with the main text are short chapters about civilians claiming to have picked up mayday calls. The book's structure and scope, along with the story's inherent drama, provide a taut backdrop for Earhart's history. Websites. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2011

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Ben Towle. Narrator Grace, who handwrites a newspaper for her small Newfoundland town, is riveted by Amelia Earhart. She gets the chance to ask Earhart all about her life when the pilot comes to town. Taylor delivers just the right amount of information in the text. Towle's black, white, and cyan drawings are moody and dramatic, evoking a strong sense of place and time period. Reading list. Bib.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2010

(3) 4-6 Sterling Biographies series. Rich with facts, these biographies go beyond basic information and personal mythologies to reveal the lasting achievements and human foibles of six incredible women. Each thoughtfully designed volume draws readers in, vividly bringing to life the various places and times, from Joan of Arc's fifteenth-century France to Amelia Earhart's twentieth-century America, through informational sidebars, photographs, and document reproductions. Timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Sterling Biographies titles: Helen Keller, Cleopatra, Marie Curie, Amelia Earhart, Anne Frank, and Joan of Arc.

Reviewer: Chelsey Philpot

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Kathleen Kemly. Ever since childhood, when she built a roller coaster in her yard, the incorrigible young woman's stated intentions are met with the discouraging refrain, "You can't do that, Amelia!" Undaunted, she proves herself by flying solo across the Atlantic (where the story ends). The book succeeds as an empowerment tract and Earhart introduction. The varied illustrations showcase Earhart as a bright-eyed dreamer. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by David Craig. The mystery of Amelia Earhart's disappearance may never be solved, this biography suggests, but her legacy will endure. Though the illustrations sometimes feel forced or even unnecessary (e.g., an image of the famed aviator rising out of the ocean), the archival photos and rich text, complete with informative sidebars and Earhart's own words, create an insightful portrait of an American icon. Reading list, websites. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Chelsey Philpot

(4) 4-6 This book begins dramatically with Earhart's last radio communications. After a description of her early life and career, Micklos presents the few facts and many theories about Earhart's disappearance. The text is occasionally stilted but generally exciting. Many archival photographs illustrate the text, and sidebars give historical context. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Lauren Aimonette LIang

(4) K-3 Ready-to-Read: Childhood of Famous Americans series. Illustrated by Alan Daniel & Lea Daniel. Each of the books in this series intended for emerging readers fictionalizes a childhood episode from the life of a notable historical figure. Earhart, which is divided into chapters and intended for proficient readers, is longer and more detailed (and includes more exclamation points) than the other titles. Illustrated with cartoony color art, the books provide adequate introductions. Timeline. [Review covers these Ready-to-Read titles: Mark Twain at Work!, Thomas Edison to the Rescue!, Sacagawea and the Bravest Deed, and Amelia Earhart.]

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) YA Historical American Biographies series. Four prominent figures in American political and cultural history are profiled in these volumes. In general, the competently written books offer informative, well-balanced portrayals of each subject. Clay, in particular, is marred by some poor transitions and confusing photo captions. Dark black-and-white photos and reproductions illustrate the texts. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Historical American Biographies titles: Eugene V. Debs, Emily Dickinson, Amelia Earhart, and Henry Clay.]

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(3) YA Famous Flyers series. These well-written biographies clearly describe the contributions each aviator made, although the books' major strength is in the details they provide about their subjects' personal lives and the events that led to their history-making accomplishments. Both books feature archival photos and informational sidebars; Yeager also includes a fifteen-page "Famous Firsts in Aviation" appendix. Bib., ind. [Review covers these Famous Flyers titles: Amelia Earhart and Chuck Yeager.]

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(4) K-3 Meeting Famous People series. These highly readable basic biographies should inspire interest in their remarkable subjects despite some clumsy writing (after Keller's teacher Annie's death, "Helen was so sad") and sketchy information (we're told that young Earhart's family frequently moved but not why). Both books include photos of their subjects and related items and locations. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Meeting Famous People titles: Amelia Earhart and Helen Keller.]

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) 4-6 Who Was...? series. Illustrated by David Cain. These short, illustrated books capture the lives of famous individuals with accessible prose. Each book spends considerable time explaining the childhood experiences of its subject and manages to give readers a sense of the individual's personality and motives. All but Tallchief and Houdini have bibliographies. Timeline. [Review covers these Who Was...? titles: Who Is Maria Tallchief?, Who Was Amelia Earhart?, Who Was Harriet Tubman?, Who Was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?, and Who Was Harry Houdini?.]

Reviewer: Lauren Aimonette LIang

(4) K-3 Eyewitness Readers series. Beginning with a glimpse at her difficult childhood with an alcoholic father, this is a serviceable account of the legendary pilot's accomplishments. Archival photos and textbook-like illustrations compete for space with the main text and with sidebars that provide social and historical context. Some of the sidebar information is only vaguely related to the text but doesn't detract too much from the main subject. Glos.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn