The Last Grand Adventure

by Rebecca Behrens

  My teachers, librarians, and booksellers, for not only putting books in my hands but words in my heart.

  Elizabeth Behrens, for being my one and only sister, as well as a great friend and teacher.

  My grandmothers, Bette Behrens and Margaret Simpson, and the late Alice Stylianou, for the stories you’ve told me. I treasure them all.

  My parents, Jim and Jane Behrens, for always believing in me. Thank you to my Behrens-Karsh family—Eyal, Ben, and Eva—and my Merriman family—Mark, Brigid, Elise, Grace, and Ben.

  Always, thanks to Blake, for all the adventures shared and the many to come.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Rebecca Behrens grew up in Wisconsin, studied in Chicago, and now lives with her husband in New York City. A former textbook editor, Rebecca loves writing and reading about kids full of moxie and places full of history. She is the author of the middle-grade novels When Audrey Met Alice, which BookPage called “a terrific work of blended realistic and historical fiction,” and Summer of Lost and Found, which Kirkus Reviews praised as “a good find indeed.” Visit her online at www.rebeccabehrens.com.

  ALADDIN

  Simon & Schuster, New York

  Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Rebecca-Behrens

  Visit us at simonandschuster.com/kids

  ALSO BY REBECCA BEHRENS

  Summer of Lost and Found

  When Audrey Met Alice

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  ALADDIN

  An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division

  1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020

  www.SimonandSchuster.com

  First Aladdin hardcover edition March 2018

  Text copyright © 2018 by Rebecca Behrens

  Jacket illustrations and interior map illustrations copyright © 2018 by Robyn Ng

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

  ALADDIN and related logo are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or business@simonandschuster.com.

  The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com.

  Jacket designed by Laura Lyn DiSiena

  Interior designed by Steve Scott

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Behrens, Rebecca, author.

  Title: The last grand adventure / by Rebecca Behrens.

  Description: First Aladdin hardcover edition. | New York : Aladdin, 2018. |

  Summary: In 1967, unhappy with her newly blended family, twelve-year-old Bea agrees to accompany Pidge, her grandmother, to Atchison, Kansas, where Pidge believes her long-lost sister, Amelia Earhart, will meet them.

  Includes historical notes, a brief biography, quotations from the Earharts, and resources for educators. | Includes bibliographical references.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2017019299 (print) | LCCN 2017036584 (eBook) |

  ISBN 9781481496940 (eBook) | ISBN 9781481496926 (hc)

  Subjects: | CYAC: Adventure and adventurers—Fiction. | Sisters—Fiction. |

  Grandmothers—Fiction. | Earhart, Amelia, 1897-1937—Fiction. |

  Divorce—Fiction. | Stepfamilies—Fiction.

  Classification: LCC PZ7.B38823405 (eBook) |

  LCC PZ7.B38823405 Las 2018 (print) | DDC [Fic]—dc23

  LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017019299