Thank you to @netgalley and @simonkids for a free digital copy of this book!
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You guys. This book is so cute, a delightful middle grade novel about friendship and girl power! It squarely places girls as the hero of their own story and provides a lot of delightful tidbits about Amelia Earhart as well. This is the story of six girls who win a contest to spend the night at Earhart’s childhood home and while there, they find themselves embroiled in a mystery to find her missing flight goggles which are about to be sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
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I loved all the references to Nancy Drew, and I really enjoyed each girls' unique personality. All were portrayed as funny and smart, but also unique, with their own thoughts, feelings, and personality. The book also had a big focus on girls in STEM, which you know I am here for. Plus, a whodunnit mystery? Sign me up. If you’re looking for a book with a bit of nostalgia that has the very best of all the series you loved as a kid, look no further than The Amelia Six. I loved it. PICK.

Great middle grade mystery in a terrific setting. I loved Millie and enjoyed the ensemble of girls in the book. The mystery was twisty, with higher stakes and more suspense than I was expecting. Tons of Amelia Earhart tidbits throughout the book and back matter. Mystery fans and Amelia Earhart fans as well as readers who enjoy ensemble stories (although told by one character) should be sure to check this out!

This book is about a group of six young girls who get invited to spend the night at Amelia Earhart’s house. And when Amelia’s famous goggles go missing and other things go awry, they must solve the mystery!. When I read that synopsis, I could not hit the request button on NetGalley fast enough. This book has so much working in its favor. It touches on friendship, and bravery, and being confident in yourself. It has mystery and action and quirky characters. It highlights and celebrates women in a multitude of STEM fields. It’s modern, but still feels like it could be a Nancy Drew novel. I loved the reading experience. I will be looking for more books by Kristin Gray. (Plus how cute is this cover?!)

Honestly, the cover and title is what originally pulled me to this book. I love the illustrations and I’ve always been fascinated of Amelia Earhart. She is one of the many we read about in 4th grade, so I knew I would enjoy this story.

I was not expecting for this book to be a mystery, but I am so glad it is. I always feel like a good mystery is great for reluctant readers because as a reader you too are trying to crack the case. Even though there were 6 girls and a few other main characters in this story it was very easy to keep up with. Kristin L. Gray did a phenomenal job of giving each of the six girls a different personality and appearance to help decipher who was who.

Now for the mystery—boy, oh boy! I got a vibes of Sherlock Holmes, Scooby Doo, and the game Clue all-in-one. Not only do you learn such crazy and unheard of facts about Amelia Earhart, but you also get to see how passionate these characters are about her. I was baffled by the time I caught on to who was the suspect who hid Amelia Earhart’s goggles. I did catch on a bit earlier than the reveal, but I still think the story was well-written.

This book would be great for lower middle grade (3rd) to middle school kiddos. The vocabulary and language is not too advance so that is why I am putting a wider range of readers for this book. It reminds me a bit like A Dog-Friendly Town by Josephine Cameron in plot and ease of reading.

Six girls are invited to Amelia Earhart's childhood home as a celebration only to be thrown into a mystery where everyone is a suspect. Our main character Amelia overcomes her fears to gain ease in a new setting and then to use her detective skills she learned from vintage Nancy Drew books. A fun combination of aviation mixed with whodunit.

There’s just something about a great opening line that really draws readers in. Especially when it, at first glance, doesn’t have anything to do with the book you’re about to read: “Imagine the worst smell you can think of, multiply it by rotten fish, and I promise you a turkey truck stinks worse.”

How could you not want to read more?

While you find out pretty quickly what this sentence has to do with The Amelia Six, it’s not just a great opening line. It also gives you a glimpse at the descriptive and intriguing writing you’re about to experience. The whole book is like that.

Millie is a shy girl with an affinity for solving Rubik’s Cube. She’s bright but doesn’t want to assert herself. She has a quick mind, and when given the chance, she shines. The quirks of her character are perfectly matched by the other girls, who each have something of their own to prove.

The Amelia Six is a caper that feels very cinematic. I could see the whole thing play out on a small or large screen or even on stage. Gray’s writing has a warmth and familiarity to it that immediately draws you in and almost pushes you into the action.

The Amelia Six is just the sort of book I would have loved as a child, and I know it would have inspired me to learn more about Earhart. This is one I’ll definitely be saving for my own daughter to read when she’s old enough.

Millie Ashford is ecstatic to be chosen as one of the six girls who gets to spend a night in Amelia Earhart's childhood home. But the night's events change quickly when Amelia Earhart's famous goggles go missing, the very goggles that are suppose to be displayed at the Smithsonian. Millie and the other girls, the Amelia Six, are thrust into the mystery of finding who stole the goggles and why. Perfect for those readers who enjoy mysteries.

This is a fun mystery with lots of good information about Amelia Earhart. I also LOVED the idea of getting sleep over in a historical house... sign me up! The mystery was good with a lot of suspense. Millie is the narrator for the story which starts off with her in a chicken truck with her father and a CPR dummy... none of this really connects to the story and gives it an odd start. I also wished there was more development around Millie’s absent mother. Part of Millie’s interest in Amelia Earhart is to connect with her pilot mother but this issue isn’t resolved in a satisfactory way.

Mystery meets history in this exciting, modern day adventure where friendship is golden and a dab of humor makes all the difference in the world.

Eleven-year-old Millie gets the chance of a lifetime—to spend the night with five other girls in her idol's childhood home. Excited and a little nervous, she meets the other girls, each who have their very own distinct personalities. While it'd be nice to make friends, Millie can't wait to see items which belonged to Amelia Earhart. But the thrill soon turns to frustration and suspicion as the original goggles go missing. A blizzard rages outside, making sure the thief can't leave. Now, the girls need to band together and discover who it is before worse things happen.

From the very first page, I knew I was going to like this read. Millie hits with pure original spunk in a quirky situation with her father. She's easy to relate to and a fun character to join up with, even if her interests hit a direction readers might not really know much about, Amelia Earhart. But this book melds the tidbits of history and information smoothly into the mystery, allowing young readers to learn some facts along the way.

I enjoyed the writing style quite a bit. It keeps a hint of humor, spunk and personality, while still allowing the tension needed to build a nice mystery. The clues are well placed, and it's not always clear where things will lead. As the story progresses, so does the dark threat, but at a level even more sensitive readers will feel comfortable with. I was afraid that having six characters might grow a bit confusing, but the author does a good job at keeping their personalities different enough to make it easy to recognize each one right away. I love the different quirks each one has and the way they add to the story. It makes for an easy read, which flies by at a pretty good pace.

To keep history close, the author offers a list of literature at the end of the book, in which readers can find more information. There's also a lean toward STEM, making this a nice read for homeschoolers or classrooms. Add the desire for fun and adventure along with a little girl power, and it's a read middle graders are sure to enjoy.

I received an electronic ARC from Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing through NetGalley.
Light mystery with enough creepiness to keep middle grade readers engaged. The story is told through Millie's eyes. She has been selected as one of six girls to spend the night at the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum. The Ninety Nines have chosen them based on their interest and accomplishments in science. What should be a fun night of exploring and learning about Earhart turns into a mystery to be solved - someone stole a special pair of Earhart's goggles. The six have to work together as they aren't sure which adults they can trust. They discover hidden stairways, get locked in the basement, outsmart the thieves, and, of course, find the goggles. Millie finds confidence in herself and learns about making friends. She steps up as a leader and discovers an ability to think on her feet.
The story flows smoothly and is fun to read. Gray's characters continue to reveal parts of themself as the night moves on. She weaves historical fact throughout the book and honors the women who were pioneers in flight.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the E-arc of The Amelia Six. It is a great adventure read for children and parents. It has great historical reference points.

I really liked this one! Six science-minded girls get to spend a night at Amelia Earhart's childhood home; unfortunately, right as the fun is really beginning, Amelia's priceless flying goggles go missing. The girls must work together to catch the thief and find the goggles, before one of them has to take the blame.
I was so impressed bye the individuality of each of the six girls. Even with such a wide cast, I was able to keep them all straight, and for the most part I found them to be very refreshingly free of stereotypes. The main character, Millie, is even somewhat timid and easily frightened; for whatever reason, the more math- and science-focused girls in books don't seem to be allowed to have these characteristics. It was a nice change, and allowed for a lot of great character growth throughout the story.
Another plus for me was the way the author worked fascinating details about Amelia Earhart's life into the story without once sounding like she was trying to do so. Not an easy task!
I highly recommend this for kids who love a good adventure story.

Six standout girls are invited to the historic childhood home of Amelia Earhart to spend the night. Their sleep over turns into a mystery when famous valuable goggles disappear. As the girls search, they form a bond that helps them navigate the clues, a poisoning, and getting locked in the basement. The story is interesting enough to keep reading with fascinating Amelia trivia.

The Amelia Six by Kristin L. Gray is the perfect mystery for middle grade readers. The story takes place at Amelia Earhart’s Birthplace Museum in Atchison, Kansas. Millie Ashford has been chosen with five other girls to spend the night at the historical site. Coming from around the United States the girls gather for what was meant to be an evening of fun but turns out to be an evening of mystery and fear after Earhart’s goggles from a 1932 flight are stolen.

Gray doles out the clues at an even pace. Each character has reason to be the thief. Their identities become more fleshed out as the book proceeds. Although the ending is wrapped up with a bow rather quickly, the majority of young readers will be satisfied with the outcome.

Kristin Gray has done a great job with her research into this tale. There are so many historic details peppered throughout the story. She does a good job of separating fact from fiction in the author’s note at the end of the book and also shares a reading list, most of which I will purchase for our school library since students are bound to ask for them.

This was such a fun read that will appeal to boys and girls and readers of all ages. It's a wonderful combination of Scooby Doo and Nancy Drew. The characters are likable and relate able. The story will keep you guessing the entire time. It's an excellent introduction to Amelia Earhart too.