Daredevil: The Daring Life of Betty Skelton

by Meghan McCarthy (Author) Meghan McCarthy (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade
A riveting picture book biography of Betty Skelton, aviation and auto racing pioneer, from award-winning author/illustrator Megan McCarthy.

In the 1930s most girls were happy playing with dolls. But one girl, Betty Skelton, liked playing with airplanes, watching them fly around outside, and even flying airplanes herself! She lived for an adventure--in the air, the water, and on land--and nothing could stop her, especially not being a girl.

When Betty Skelton was young there weren't many women flying airplanes or racing cars, but she wouldn't let that stop her. She was always ready to take on a challenge, and she loved to have fun. Beetty rode motorcycles, raced cars, jumped out of planes, and flew jets, helicoptors, gliders, and blimps. And by the time she was an adult, Betty was known in the press as the "First Lady of Firsts!"

This vibrantly illustrated picture book biography reveals the exciting life of a brave pioneer who followed her dreams and showed the world that women can do anything!
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Hardcover
$19.99

Kirkus

Starred Review
McCarthy has spun an adventurous story about this little-known woman, highlighting her groundbreaking triumphs with respectful whimsy.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2--This book has a terrific message for young girls about breaking barriers; unfortunately, essential information about Skelton is missing or incorrect. According to McCarthy, "At the age of twelve her father boosted her up, plopped her into a plane, and waved good-bye. Betty was flying by herself!" McCarthy notes that Skelton studied information she had requested from aircraft manufacturers (using the ruse of helping her dad buy a plane), but that obviously wasn't enough to qualify her to fly solo. The lack of a reference to the training she received from Ensign Kenneth Wright will leave young readers to think otherwise. McCarthy claims NASA blocked Skelton from flying with the Mercury 7, but she was never officially considered for inclusion on the crew. Skelton knew the invitation to undergo astronaut endurance tests was a publicity stunt, but McCarthy writes, "Previously only animals had gone into outer space. No man-or woman-had yet done so. This was Betty's chance!" In spirit, McCarthy's profile of Skelton is exciting, fun, and inspirational. However, like the trailblazing daredevil's planes and cars and boats, it speeds right past important facts as though they would detract from an amazing life when they most certainly wouldn't. McCarthy's familiar round-eyed renderings of her characters are endearing as always, and her palette, set in ample white space, is cheerful. But what could have been a great introduction to a fascinating thrill seeker sadly sacrifices accuracy for stylistic embellishment, and the resulting errors are too significant to overlook.--Alyson Low, Fayetteville Public Library, AR

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Publishers Weekly

Starred Review

McCarthy has made a career out of picture-book biographies of unexpected subjects, and this thoroughly inspiring portrait of Betty June Skelton (1926-2011) reveals a woman who embodies a "need for speed." Direct quotations from Skelton fill her story with personality. She was obsessed with flying from an early age, and she made the newspapers for a solo flight on her 16th birthday--never mind that her father had already plopped her into a cockpit four years earlier. "It wasn't quite legal then so I couldn't tell anybody," she recalled. Skelton went on to break records on land, sea, and air, and she even had a shot at becoming the first woman in space. In McCarthy's succinct prose and wide-eyed acrylic cartooning, Skelton comes through as a woman eager to break barriers and try anything. Ages 4-8. (June)

Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes


Meghan McCarthy
Meghan McCarthy is the award-winning author and illustrator of many books for children, including Earmuffs for Everyone!: How Chester Greenwood Became Known as the Inventor of Earmuffs; Daredevil: The Daring Life of Betty Skelton; Pop!: The Invention of Bubble Gum; City Hawk: The Story of Pale Male; Seabiscuit the Wonder Horse; All That Trash; and Action! A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, she lives in Brooklyn, New York. Visit her at Meghan-McCarthy.com.
Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9781442422629
Lexile Measure
640
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
Publication date
June 04, 2013
Series
-
BISAC categories
JNF007120 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Women
JNF007100 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Sports & Recreation
JNF057010 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Transportation | Aviation
Library of Congress categories
United States
Women air pilots
Air pilots
Women automobile racing drivers
Automobile racing drivers
Skelton, Betty
Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award
Nominee 2015 - 2015
Young Hoosier Book Award
Nominee 2016 - 2016
Garden State Children's Book Awards
Nominee 2016 - 2016

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