John Parlin - Amelia Earhart

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Published by Yearling, an imprint of Random House Childrens Books a division of Random House, Inc., New York

Text copyright 1962 by John Parlin
Illustrations copyright 1991 by Wayne Alfano

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eISBN: 978-0-307-80783-0

v3.1

To those high-flying Parlin girls
May, Alice, and Alma

What will we do today? Muriel Earhart asked her big sister, Amelia. Muriel was six and Amelia was eight.

Lets make something, Amelia said.

Make what?

Cant you think of something? Amelia asked. Do I always have to think of everything?

All right, smarty, Muriel said. Lets make an airplane. Lets make it like the picture we saw in Daddys magazine last night.

Im afraid we dont have the right things to make an airplane, Amelia said. But I know what we can make thats just as exciting.

What? Muriel asked. Tell me!

A roller coaster! Amelia cried.

We dont know how to make a roller coaster either, Muriel said.

We can try. It wont hurt us to try.

The girls got some wood from an old fence that had been torn down. They made a car by putting some roller skates under a big piece of wood. With the rest of the wood they made a slide. The slide went from the top of the woodshed to the ground.

Amelia took the car up to the top of the shed. She put it on the slide and climbed in.

Here I go! Amelia shouted.

The car rolled quickly down the slide. When it hit the ground it bounced into the air. Amelia turned a somersault. Luckily she was not hurt.

When the girls grandmother saw the roller coaster, she made them take it down at once.

Thats dangerous, she said. What in the world made you want to ride on a thing like that?

Just for fun! Amelia cried.

You certainly have a strange idea of fun, her grandmother said.

Amelia and Muriel spent a great deal of time with their grandmother. Her house was in Atchison, Kansas. Amelia had been born there on July 24, 1898.

Their father worked for a railroad. He had to travel a lot. But the girls had fun with him when he was home.

They had fun with their mother too. She let them bring frogs and spiders right into the house.

Later the family lived in Des Moines, Iowa. One day Mr. Earhart gave the girls a treat. He took them to the Iowa State Fair.

At the fair the girls rode on the Ferris wheel. When their car reached the top of the wheel, they screamed with delight. They could see for many miles. But as their car came down, Muriel cried with fear.

Theres nothing to be afraid of, Amelia said. This is fun. Its almost like flying. Look! Theres Daddy down on the ground.

The car reached the bottom, then swung toward the top again. Mr. Earhart waved to his girls. When the ride was over he asked, How was it?

I was scared, Muriel said.

I wasnt, Amelia bragged.

Now lets see the airplane, Mr. Earhart said. He had never seen an airplane before. Neither had the girls. They had only seen pictures of airplanes in magazines.

As they walked across the fairgrounds, Mr. Earhart talked about airplanes. He told them the Wright brothers had invented the airplane just a few years before. Airplanes were not able to fly very far yet.

Soon they came to a fence. On the other side they saw the airplane.

It looks like a big orange-crate, Amelia said.

It looks funny, Muriel agreed.

I thought it would look better than that, Amelia said.

She was disappointed by her first sight of an airplane. She never thought she would own an airplane when she grew up.

One night in 1910, the Earharts were having supper. Mr. and Mrs. Earhart turned to Amelia and Muriel. Would you girls like to see something exciting tonight?

Yes! Amelia and Muriel shouted together. What is it?

Well, Mrs. Earhart said with a laugh, it has a tail that is several million miles long.

Youre teasing us, Amelia said. Nothing has a tail that long!

Shes not teasing, Mr. Earhart said. Were talking about Halleys comet up in the sky. He told them that Halleys comet made a trip near the earth every 76 years. It was named after Edmond Halley, an Englishman who had studied the comet long ago.

When the dishes were washed, the girls climbed up on a shed behind the house. Mr. Earhart pointed to Halleys comet.

It looks like a star with a tail, Amelia said.

Its not a star, her father said. We arent sure exactly what it is. Most scientists think its made up of millions of small rocks and pebbles.

I read something interesting about comets the other day, Mrs. Earhart remarked. Somebody said that a comet is the nearest thing to nothing that anything can be, and still be something.

Well, said Muriel, it looks like something to me.

Isnt it pretty! Amelia cried.

Take a good look, Mr. Earhart said. It will be out of sight in a few days. And it wont come back again until 1986.

Amelia pointed to a bright star near the Milky Way.

Does that star have a name, Daddy? she asked.

Thats Vega, her father replied. Its one of the most beautiful stars of all.

Amelia shut her eyes and made a wish on Vega. She wished that when she grew up she could do exciting things.