The Daring Nellie Bly

           

Were this not a children’s book, I think a more appropriate title for The Daring Nellie Bly:  America’s Star Reporter by Bonnie Christensen might be The Kick A** Nellie Bly.  I knew vaguely of Nellie Bly, but this picture book has turned me into a Nellie Bly admirer.

            This book does one of my favorite things a book can do—teach me without preaching to me.  There was no overt message of “You can do it” or “Just persevere.”  No one likes to be preached to, well, unless they are at church.  In the opening pages, Christensen states that, “During the miserable years of her mother’s second marriage, Nellie began realizing that she never wanted to depend on anyone but herself.  So when it came time for her to consider marriage, Nellie decided upon a career instead.”  Talk about a role model, right?  The entire book is seriously a testament to how kick a** women can be.

            Let’s start with how Nellie Bly got herself admitted into an Insane Asylum just to do an undercover story about the conditions there.  That was honestly the only thing I had ever heard about her, and was initially disappointed that it only covered a couple pages.  Turns out, she did even cooler stuff.  Like insisting that she could make it around the world in less than 80 days.

            We need to think this through, guys.  This was 1889, when women were accompanied by chaperones and rarely led independent lives.  There was no internet or cell phone service.  This 26 year old woman wanted to go across the world, on her own, to prove it could be done.  I don’t even like to cross the street alone.  Nellie Bly’s trip helped increase her newspaper’s circulation by 24,000 readers!  Christensen did an amazing job retelling this amazing woman’s life.  Every girl needs to read this story, and get to experience her adventure through the masterful writing of Bonnie Christensen.

Bottom Line:  I think kids will love this book.  I can imagine this book being a read-aloud in any classroom, third grade and up.  I originally thought second grade, but I think the phrase that, “in China… they kill baby girls or sell them as slaves, because they can make no good use of them,” might be a little mature for that age group.  I feel that older girls will be able to better understand her difficulties trying to become successful in a male-dominated society and career.  That being said, however, I think even younger children will admire all of the things she was able to accomplish.

 

Title:  The Daring Nellie Bly: America’s Star Reporter

Author/Illustrator:  Bonnie Christensen

Publisher/Publishing Date:  Alfred A. Knopf, 2003