The Last Grand Adventure

The bond between sisters—not to mention grandmother and granddaughter—sets in motion a quirky, heart-rending journey and a discovery that could either change history or crush a dream. Beatrice is not a risk taker. Not like her journalist mom, who, since divorcing Bea's dad, is constantly on the move, searching for her next big story. Bea, 12, feels abandoned and resentful living with her dad and his new wife, Julie, and her irritating, adoring younger stepsister, Sally. Which is why, when she spends time with her free-wheeling grandmother, Bea feels herself swept away by the older woman's sense of adventure. Besides, adventure runs in grandma's blood. How could it not? After all, Muriel—call her "Pidge"—is the sister of long-lost aviatrix Amelia "Meelie" Earhart. In an imaginative tale set in 1967, grandma Pidge takes her granddaughter on a journey to finally discover what happened to her long-lost sister 30 years before. Or is the journey fueled by something more? Pidge, who shares letters she has received from Meelie, is showing signs of being unwell. Is she ill or simply fatigued? Despite bouts of forgetfulness, Pidge's persistence encourages Bea (and readers) to want to believe even as the story hurtles toward a heartbreakingly surprising if inevitable conclusion. Bea's intelligent, believable voice leads readers through a narrative sprinkled with period references and interspersed with Meelie's handwritten letters. Infused with warmth and brightly developed characters and locales, Bea's adventure makes for a satisfying read. (Historical fiction. 8-12)