Amelia Earhart: The Legend of the Lost Aviator »

Shelley Tanaka has written a number of award-winning books for children, including Mummies: The Newest, Coolest, and Creepiest from Around the World, which received two starred reviews. She lives in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. David Craig has illustrated a number of popular books for children. He lives in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.

David Craig has illustrated a number of books. He lives in Canada.

The ever-fascinating story of the legendary pilot is given new life in this vividly told true-life adventure.

Ever since Amelia Earhart and her plane disappeared on July 2, 1937, people have wanted to know more about this remarkable woman. Amelia Earhart follows the charismatic aviator from her first sight of an airplane at the age of ten to the last radio transmission she made before she vanished. Illustrated with original artworks, contemporary photographs, quotes, and details, this is a great introduction to the famous pilot. The book includes a bibliography and an index.

School Library Journal

Gr 3-6

Although this biography of the famous aviator who has fascinated Americans for decades has no new information to offer, it is nicely formatted and has attractive illustrations. The work is shaped like a picture book but has a lot of text, some with hundreds of words per page. Tanaka focuses on Earhart's flying and spends only a little time on other aspects of her life. The writing is interesting and flows well. A list of sources for all the quotes used appears in the back matter, and the bibliography and index are substantial. The book is illustrated primarily with the same set of historical photographs found in other Earhart biographies. However, seven full-page paintings by Craig add vitality to this offering. These realistic pictures are carefully researched and visually dramatic. They match the feeling of the historical photos and the tone of the narrative. This is a good choice for those needing a profile of the famous flier. DK's Amelia Earhart: A Photographic Story of a Life (2007) is also well written, delves deeper into the woman's personal life, and is a good choice for those wanting a longer biography.-Donna Cardon, Provo City Library, UT