I read Amelia and Eleanor Go For a Ride last summer intending to review it here. It was requested by a patron, however, and disappeared before I could put a hold on it. When Greta checked it back in, another patron shopped the returns pile and out it went again. And again. This charming story has been out of my library for four months and read by half a dozen young patrons who all thought it was one of the best books they had read all season. It is that fun.
Despite going to the EAA many times as a young girl, and genuinely being intrigued by everything Amelia Earhart, somehow I had no idea that she and Eleanor Roosevelt were such good friends. The more I learn about Eleanor Roosevelt, the more intrigued by her I become. This exciting little story is such a treat! And, the best part for me was that when I read it, I had not yet read Echo and had no idea of how good a storyteller Newberry honoree Pam Munoz Ryan is! Now I love her style for novels and picture books.
On a cloudless evening in April, 1933, Amelia Earhart attended a dinner at the White House. She and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt were good friends. As the dinner progressed, one of the reporters present mentioned that the First Lady had just received her student pilot’s license. Eleanor in turn asked Amelia what it was like to fly at night. At this point in aviation history, very few pilots had flown in the dark.
“The stars glitter all about and seem close enough to touch. At higher elevations, the clouds below shine white with dark islands where the night sea shows through. I’ve seen the planet Venus setting on the horizon. And I’ve circled cities of twinkling lights.”
As Amelia described the beauty of the sky at night, the First Lady was captivated. In short order, the two left the dinner party and headed to a nearby airport so Amelia could take Mrs. Roosevelt up in the Curtis Condor twin-motor airplane. They didn’t even change out of their fancy dress or evening gloves!
The story is exciting and so well told. The illustration is fantastic by the excellent Caldecott medalist Brian Selznick. This one is not to be missed.
Here is a link to this book of Biblioguides.