HEATHER STEMP
Beyond Amelia
The third and final installment in the Ginny Ross YA series, following the Red Cedar-nominated Amelia and Me and Geoffrey Bilson finalist Under Amelia’s Wing.
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It’s 1940, war is raging in Europe, and Ginny Ross longs to join the fight against Hitler. She’s a capable pilot, thanks to mentoring from Amelia Earhart and her training at Purdue University, but she’s not allowed to use her skills in the US Army Air Corps, which only allows men to fly.
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When a new service is created to secretly fly bombers from Newfoundland to the UK to join in the fight, Ginny realizes how she can help. She cuts her hair, changes her name, and heads to Canada as Jimmy Ross. In her disguise, Ginny takes part in the risky and vitally important mission to bring more air power to the allied forces.
Ginny is determined to do her part and ready to face down any danger, from engine failure to devastating Blitz bombing. But she never anticipated that another great danger lurks much closer…in the secret she’s keeping from the men around her.
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Based on the true history of the heroic Ferry Command, Beyond Amelia is an exciting, suspenseful story about the sacrifices so many young people made to turn the tide in a terrifying war.
WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING...
canadareadsamericanstyle Review:
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Over the course of two weeks, I read the Ginny Ross series: Amelia & Me; Under Amelia’s Wing; and Beyond Amelia (April 16, 2024) by Heather Stemp, and I encourage young readers and adults alike to read all three in order.
In Amelia & Me, Stemp has written a captivating historical novel that weaves in real-life stories of her family from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland and their encounter with Amelia Earhart. Main character Ginny Ross is 12 years old and has decided that she wants to be a pilot despite that in 1932 the world was still reeling from the Depression and aviation was not a traditional path for females. Ginny’s passion, stubbornness, and courage are reminiscent of PEI’s Anne of Green Gables.
Under Amelia’s Wing finds Ginny at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana in 1936 pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering and a pilot’s license. Amelia Earhart is also at Purdue serving as a counselor on careers for women and an advisor in the aeronautical engineering department. Their relationship continues until that fateful round-the-world flight.
In the third and final book in the series, Beyond Amelia, it is now 1940 and Ginny is contemplating how she can contribute to the war effort in Europe, especially after watching all of her friends fit neatly into their gender-specific roles.
Stemp has written an exciting, compelling, well-researched series for all ages. Whether the setting is Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, West Lafayette, Indiana, or a white-washed cottage in Ireland, the reader is transported to the time and place in fine detail. So fine, in fact, that I am now diving into all things Earhart-related and planning a pilgrimage to Purdue to view the Amelia Earhart Collection and then to Kansas to see the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum, Archives, and Hangar Museum.
Five stars for each book in the series!
Thank you Nimbus Publishing and Vagrant Press for the Beyond Amelia ARC.