THE DARING NELLIE BLY

Christensen unabashedly positions Nellie Bly in the pantheon of feminist heroes. She “grew up competing with two older brothers,” “learned the art of standing out from the crowd” from her mother, and in the course of a spectacular journalistic career highlighted by a less-than-80-day solo jaunt around the world, exposés of dreadful conditions in a New York asylum, and a stint as correspondent in WWI, she “changed how the world viewed women and paved the way for the young women who followed.” Despite the hyperbole, this account of that career’s high spots makes riveting reading, and a perfect lead-in to the more detailed accounts offered in the concluding bibliography. The author illustrates Bly’s exploits with vigorously drawn scenes that resemble period newspaper engravings. Nary a dull moment in this rousing profile. (chronology, bibliography, videography) (Picture book/biography. 8-10)