Review by New York Times Review
ENGAGING and appealing? Absolutely. Nonfiction? Not exactly. Young readers might at first assume that "Amelia Earhart: This Broad Ocean," by Sarah Stewart Taylor, is factual, since elements like the bibliography in the back tend to suggest that. But the reader has to work a bit to filter fact from fiction in this entertaining account of Earhart's stay at Trepassey, Newfoundland, before she crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 1928. True, the book looks like a graphic novel. And it carries a banner from the Center for Cartoon Studies, which has published similar books about Houdini, Satchel Paige and Thoreau. It's very well written, even captivating at times, and Ben Towle's black, white and blue art suggests the feeling of flight when it moves from panel-packed spreads to more open and expansive ones as the story, along with Amelia's plane, takes off. The presentation - a sort of graphic-novel-style biography - is a breath of fresh air. Yet the style itself, combining real and fictional people, complete with speech bubbles, also creates an issue. We get a strong sense of Amelia Earhart as a person, but the format puts words in her mouth in more ways than one. Taylor also creates a narrator who did not exist - Grace Goodland, a girl reporter following the events for The Trepassey Herald. Other than a few quotations - like the content of a telegram Amelia dictates to a clerk: "Thanks fatherly telegram. No washing necessary. Socks, underwear worn out" - the conversations between her and the other characters seem to be based on research, but largely invented. As an Amelia Earhart fan, I've always thought she was exciting enough without any assistance. The added historical information in the back of the book is welcome, but because the bibliography and "suggested reading" sections are combined into one and include only adult titles, readers have no way of knowing which ones are for recommended reading and which were used as sources. All in all, kids are going to eat this book up. I handed it to one reluctant reader who devoured it in a sitting, never once getting distracted. But that's all the more reason for the book to have been unfailingly accurate, or to be clearly labeled a novel. Perhaps the ideal solution would have been an afterword like the one John Porcellino provided in his "Thoreau at Walden," in the same series, to explain which parts were fictionalized. This would allow kids to enjoy the story while giving them the context to understand it better. But for now at least, they will walk away from this reading experience with a somewhat misleading version of Amelia Earhart's time at Trepassey. Tanya Lee Stone is the author of "Amelia Earhart: A Photographic Story of a Life." She was awarded this year's Robert F. Sibert Medal for "Almost Astronauts; 13 Women Who Dared to Dream."
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [March 14, 2010]
Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Although this first woman of flight has been the subject of many juvenile biographies, Taylor and Towle have combined their talents for research, narrative, and image to offer a fresh view of one particular chapter of her life. In June 1928, Earhart became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic not as the pilot but as a passenger. The bulk of the story takes place in a small Newfoundland village, the takeoff point for the historic flight, and is told from the point of view of a young girl. The unromanticized depiction portrays the drunkard pilot and reveals the often-harsh preconceptions that both the locals and reporters had of this unconventional woman. As Earhart invested in her own dreams, in the end so too does the young girl she inspires. Endnotes authenticate the underlying historical significance and accuracy of some images, including those of her last, apparently failed, flight, 10 years later. Towle's black-and-white cartooning, washed with aqua blue, nicely suits the period and displays the excellent work of James Sturm's Center for Cartoon Studies, through which this book was developed. This is a true sequential art narrative, requiring the reader to attend to the visual as well as the verbal components; but it is also a well-told story of an episode in Earhart's life that has particular appeal to readers looking for insight on how celebrity is both made and misunderstood, and how it matures.--Goldsmith, Francisca Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Rather than rushing past the highlights of Earhart's career, this quietly moving book approaches her life through the admiring curiosity of a girl who also aspires to escape traditional boundaries. Young Grace has grown up in Trepassey, Newfoundland, the nearest point in North America from which a plane can take off to fly to Europe; it's also a seacoast community familiar with shipwrecks and other evidence of how coldly indifferent nature can be. In June of 1928, tweener Grace, the dubious townspeople and a mob of impatient newsmen wait for Earhart to finally get her plane in the air for a transatlantic flight. Grace yearns to leave the little village and to become a newspaper woman, so she observes the commotion and manages to get the aviator's personal encouragement in an interview before her successful departure. Taylor's lean script leaves much of Grace's feelings understated but easy to imagine. Towle's art is also emotionally restrained, but panels showing the bleak landscape-especially double-page spreads of what Earhart called "this broad ocean"-emphasize the courage of people willing to take ultimate risks. Astronaut Eileen Collins's introduction, which describes the inspiration she drew from Earhart's example, carries the theme to the present. Ages 10-up. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 5 Up-In a dramatic prologue, a ship offshore of the tiny harbor town of Trepassey, Newfoundland, is dashed to pieces as a plane flies safely overhead, an image that skillfully sets the tone of the book while also presaging the events that will one day claim Earhart's life. The story begins in 1928, with the intrepid Earhart coming to Trepassey in hopes of becoming the first woman to pilot a plane across the Atlantic. After being grounded by several failed flight attempts, she meets a kindred spirit in Grace, a plucky local girl with dreams of becoming a journalist. Earhart gives Grace (and readers) some background into her earlier life and motivations. It is with great joy that Grace receives news of the aviatrix's successful flight. Flash forward nine years and Grace, inspired by Earhart's accomplishments, is now working for a newspaper in Halifax when she learns of the pilot's sudden and mysterious disappearance. Readers are left knowing that Earhart's legacy will give Grace the strength to try to break down the barriers that prevent her from becoming a reporter. Taylor's thoughtful, deliberately paced storytelling may seem slow to some readers, but it allows for a less-sensationalized accounting of the pilot's life. Towle's black, white, and mono-color illustrations have a classic feel that enlivens the tale with casual grace. Endnotes provide insight into the story for those looking for more information. An excellent choice for comic fans, history buffs, and anyone looking for a strong female role model.-Douglas P. Davey, Halton Hills Public Library, Ontario, Canada (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Amelia Earhart's modern-day equivalent, Eileen Collins -- the first female Space Shuttle pilot -- introduces this graphic novel, recounting Earhart's life and what it has meant to others like herself. The novel itself has a wordless prelude of sorts, opening with a shipwreck off the coast of the small town in Newfoundland where the story is set, vividly showing how dangerous the waters can be. The book's main section then begins, narrated by a local girl named Grace, who handwrites a newspaper for the town. Riveted by the drama of Amelia Earhart's attempt to be the first woman to fly across the Atlantic, Grace follows Earhart around over the course of two weeks as each takeoff fails. Eventually her persistence is rewarded when she gets the chance to ask her all about her life, and what flying means to her. Fictional frameworks for stories from history can sometimes get in the way, but here Grace's keen interest sparks a similar interest in the reader. Taylor delivers just the right amount of information in the text to make readers want to read the detailed "panel discussions" at the back of the book. Ben Towle's black, white, and cyan drawings are moody and dramatic, evoking a strong sense of place and time period. Towle uses small, close panels to show the characters and their reactions, while large, spacious panels convey the vastness of the ocean and sky next to Earhart's tiny plane. The brief "Bibliography and Suggested Reading" list at the back won't help young readers much since it contains only adult titles, but the book may be enticement enough for them to pursue more information about Earhart. From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The Center of Cartoon Studies, producer of the critically lauded graphic biographies of Harry Houdini, Satchel Paige and Henry David Thoreau, adheres to the same winning formula with this charmer about famed aviator Amelia Earhart. Readers meet the fictionalized Grace Goodland, a young Newfoundland girl striving to be a reporter, who finds herself enamored with the nonconformist Earhart and tells the story from her earnest viewpoint. Grace keeps a keen eye on Earhart as she and her pilot face daily struggles to depart from the treacherous harbor for their 1928 Atlantic crossing. When Earhart finally completes her transatlantic voyage, she telegrams Grace, giving the girl her first real "scoop." Following a similar format as its predecessors, this volume contains panel notes at its conclusion, adding deeper layers of history to the already rich narrative. An introduction from astronaut Eileen Collins also adds to the title's charisma. Coupled with the rich prose, Towle's detailed art truly makes this stellar book a visual feast. Like Earhart herself, this book ought to soar exuberantly into the hearts of its readers. (Graphic historical fiction. 9-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
