Short Form (All Genres)

Alisha Reid
Title: Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride Author: Pam Munoz Ryan

Illustrator: Brian Selznick Publisher/Year: 1999

Genre: Historical Fiction

Summarize the content of the book

Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride is about Eleanor Roosevelt and Amelia Earhart. Eleanor was the first
lady of the United States and Amelia was the first female pilot to fly across the Atlantic Ocean by
herself. They were very good friends. Amelia and her husband met Eleanor at the white house for an
elegant dinner. That is when a friend mentioned that Eleanor just received her student pilots license.
Amelia offers to teach Eleanor how to fly and Eleanor gladly accepts. They decide to leave the dinner
early to go for a flight, and the Secret Service men did not approve! In her white evening dress and
high heel shoes, Amelia starts to fly the plane with her friend by her side. They flew quietly through
the night sky and Eleanor exclaimed, Its like sitting on top of the world!. When they landed they
were met by a group of reporters who asked questions like, Did you feel safe knowing a woman was
flying that ship? and Did you fly at all Mrs. Roosevelt?. Then they decided to get into Mrs.
Roosevelts new car and go for a fast ride through the streets of Washington D.C. When they were
done, they went back to the white house for dessert.

Explain how the book appeals to children, their interests, developmental levels, fun
illustrations etc. Give specific examples from the book:
Adventures are a great way to pull children into a story. Flying planes and driving fast cars are
fun adventures that will interest young readers while learning about history. The illustrations
are in black and white, but they are beautiful. I especially love the photo of the city at night
from the point of view of the plane. It shows the white house lit up with all the twinkling city
lights surrounding it. This story would be great for 1st and 2nd graders as they learn more
about our history and the things women did that were unheard before that.

Rate the book 3 1 2 3

Explain your rating.

This is a fun adventurous book full of womens history.