AMELIA & ME

Ginny must overcome a number of obstacles if she wants to become an aviatrix like Amelia Earhart—the biggest one being her own mother’s resistance to her dream.

Set in early 1930s Newfoundland, this novel is based on the author’s own family history. Twelve-year-old Ginny has been learning everything she can about engines and planes from her Uncle Harry. What she really wants more than anything is to fly. Her Papa supports her goal, as do her friends. Her mother, however, forbids it. Not only is there no money for lessons as the family struggles through the Great Depression, but her Mom believes that flying is for men. She’s barely swayed by the example Earhart is setting. After Papa’s sudden death, Mom tells Ginny she must quit school and go to work. Desperate, Ginny journeys from Newfoundland to Boston, then New York, to find her hero. After finally meeting Earhart, Ginny plans her path forward, building up to an illuminating heart-to-heart with her mother. The characters and events are richly drawn and ring authentic; the dialogue is enriched by regional and period expressions. The hurdles faced by Ginny, a girl who wants to live outside the accepted gender norms of the day, are well illustrated. Readers will be eager for the next chapter in Ginny’s story. Characters default to White.

Highlights a plucky role model for the ages.