From the acclaimed author of The Great and Only Barnum—as well as The Lincolns, Our Eleanor, and Ben Franklin's Almanac—comes the thrilling story of America's most celebrated flyer, Amelia Earhart. In alternating chapters, Fleming deftly moves readers back and forth between Amelia's life (from childhood up until her last flight) and the exhaustive search for her and her missing plane. With incredible photos, maps, and handwritten notes from Amelia herself—plus informative sidebars tackling everything from the history of flight to what Amelia liked to eat while flying (tomato soup)—this unique nonfiction title is tailor-made for middle graders.

Resources
Amelia Lost Educators Guide

Read the 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.”

—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“The brief chapters that focus on her failure to arrive at Howland Island (halfway between Hawaii and Australia) are incredibly compelling. I had to keep reminding myself as I read them that this is history and there would be no last-moment miracle when I turned the page.”

—Richie's Picks

“Fleming has mined the wealth of Earhart research to present reader-friendly details, from baby Amelia’s first photo to her 1906-7 report card.... Iconic images and stories about the flier are also included—and sometimes deconstructed—as Fleming describes the behind-the-scenes publicity machine that was working hard to keep Amelia in the spotlight.”

—The Horn Book, starred review

“Fleming cleverly structures this biography to give the tale of tragedy a fresh and dreadful impact; she intercuts the as-it-happens account of the public and private response to Earhart's failure to appear as scheduled at Howland Island with the chronicle of the famous flyer's youth and growth into celebrity.”

—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review

"Alternating between the “life” part and the “disappearance” part, kids get sucked into the nail-biting near misses of Amelia’s rescuers between biographical sections where you come to care about the woman herself. And, of course, it’s researched to the hilt."

—School Library Journal, starred review