School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-5-Robert Burleigh's exciting and well-produced biography (S & S/Paula Wiseman Bks., 2011) of Amelia Earhart focuses on her 1932 solo flight across the Atlantic from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland in her single-engine Lockheed Vega. Her flight was fraught with danger-from electrical storms to damaged equipment to iced wings. Excellent music sets a tense mood and sound effects of planes and seagulls put listeners at the center of the action. Wendell Minor's bold gouache-and-watercolor illustrations complement Burleigh's lyrical prose. Laura Hamilton gives a dramatic reading, doing justice to the author's poetic and intense text. Page-turn signals are optional. The book's back matter, including an afterword, a technical note, Earhart quotes, and a bibliography, is included on the CD, but is more helpful in print format. A fine production of a compelling story.-C.A. Fehmel, St. Louis County Library, MO (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
A gripping narrative and dynamic art immediately pull readers into the story of Earhart's historic 1932 solo transatlantic flight. Urgent yet lyrical, Burleigh's (One Giant Leap) account opens with Earhart's takeoff: "It is here: the hour, the very minute. Go!" A clear sky darkens as a storm erupts and lightning "scribbles its zigzag warning across the sky: danger." Earhart must also contend with mechanical difficulties-a broken altimeter, a cracked exhaust pipe, a gas leak. The tension reaches a crescendo as ice on the wings causes Earhart to lose control of the plane: "Everything she has ever learned courses through her blood. Now or never. All or nothing." Minor's (The Last Train) gouache and watercolor paintings easily convey the journey's intense drama, balancing lifelike closeups of Earhart with images of her imperiled plane. Stunning skyscapes are suffused with shadow and light; a breathtaking spread reveals streaks of multicolored clouds at daybreak as "Splinters of sunlight stab down through cloud slits and brace themselves on the vault of the open sea." Hearts will be racing. Back matter includes notes on Earhart's life. Ages 4-8. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
This vivid free-verse account of Amelia 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, braving the mercurial sky. Although Burleigh's imagery is sometimes overwrought, he succeeds in making the danger feel real, as when a storm ices the wings, pushing the plane down toward the ocean. "How close is the water's surface? She bursts through the lowest clouds. / There it is, rushing toward her. Near. Nearer." Such a harrowing night makes Minor's exquisitely rendered ocean sunrise and the subsequent sight of land seem all the more gorgeous, exemplifying one of the quotes attributed to Earhart in the back matter: "The lure of flying is the lure of beauty." And, as Night Flight suggests, the lure of feeling alive. The endpapers include a map of Earhart's flight path, and there is a list of resources. christine m. heppermann (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
This gorgeous book presents a lyrical account of Amelia Earhart's 1932 solo transatlantic flight, taking readers from the runway at Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, at 7:12 p.m., through an initially calm and eventually harrowing flight in which weather and equipment failure almost condemn Amelia's small craft to the dark waters of the Atlantic, to daybreak and a safe landing in a pasture in Ireland. Burleigh's skillful poetic language offers a gripping account that allows readers to connect with both the risk and reward of Amelia's journey. For example: "1:00 a.m. The friendly night becomes a graph of fear: / a jagged line between where-I-am and not-quite-sure. / The altimeter needle swirls wildly. It is broken! / (She will never know how high she is)." Minor's gouache-and-watercolor illustrations, richly textured and realistic, contribute greatly to the overall power and emotional impact of the story. An afterword provides a brief account of Earhart's life, giving some necessary context to the episode dramatized in the main text. (technical note, bibliography, selected quotes) (Picture book/biography. 5-10)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* A worthy new addition to the recent spate of books about the famous aviatrix, Burleigh's story concentrates on Earhart's 1932 solo flight from Newfoundland to Ireland, placing compelling poetic emphasis on her single-hearted struggle. Why? Because women must try to do things as men have tried,' writes Burleigh, quoting Earhart. Terse two-sentence stanzas tell a story focused upon the flight's trials: a sudden storm ( the sky unlocks ), ice buildup on the plane's wings, a precipitous plunge toward the Atlantic's frothing surface, and a cracked exhaust pipe ( The friendly night becomes a graph of fear ). The loneliness of the effort is finally relieved over a farmer's field, where Amelia lands and says, Hi, I've come from America. Minor's illustrations maintain tension by alternating between cockpit close-ups and wide views of the plane crossing the foreboding ocean. Predominant reds and blues convey the pure excitement of the nail-biting journey. An afterword, along with Internet resources, a bibliography, and a column of Earhart quotes, increases the book's value for curious children who might want more. Finally, Minor's endpapers, with a well-drawn map and mechanical illustration of the plane Earhart called the little red bus, also work to inspire further learning.--Cruze, Karen Copyright 2010 Booklist
