Mystery Driver
One Girl’s Singular Triumph
Reviewed by Jerry D. Flack, Ph.D.
Tracy, Elizabeth. Mystery Driver: The Story of Alice Johnson and the First Soap Box Derby. Illustrated by Anna Aronson. Somerville, MA: MIT Kids Press, 2025.
Nearly a century ago business and residential streets were not filled with delivery trucks from Amazon, Fed Ex, and UPS carrying packages made of cardboard. Packages were more often delivered in wooden crates, popularly known as soap boxes. During the harsh years of the Great Depression, such wooden boxes were often reinvented as chairs, tables, and bookcases. Eventually, these same crates served as the bodies of children’s coaster cars. The first American Soap Box Derby was staged in Dayton, Ohio in August 1933. An enterprising photojournalist of the Dayton Daily News convinced his newspaper to sponsor the very first “Soap Box Derby for Boys Under 16.” Boys only? From the age of three years, Alice Johnson had flown as the sole passenger on her father’s Swallow biplane. Along the way, Alice met aviation pioneers such as Orville Wright and Amelia Earhart at the local airfield. They encouraged young Alice to be both courageous and competitive.
Since the Dayton Soap Box Derby was a first sporting event of its kind, there were no set designs for the race cars that hundreds of local boys designed and built for the initial race save for the rule that the derby cars had to be coasters. That is, no engines were allowed. All derby entrees had to use gravity as their only source of propulsion. Contestants had to explore junk yards and garages to find wheels, rubber tires, brakes, and steering mechanisms that allowed them to conquer the one-half mile of Burkhardt Hill, the steepest street in Dayton. Alice was fortunate that her father operated a machine shop filled with spare parts and scrap metal. Alice worked hard to design and build her vehicle and to practice racing for hours throughout the summer of 1933.
Thousands of spectators lined the streets of Burkhardt Hill on August 19, 1933. On race day, entrants wore white cloth helmets that masked Alice’s gender. Alice was in the lead for much of the final heat of the race until her derby car skidded toward the street curb late in the race. From her exceptional practice, Alice knew how to correct the path of her car, but not until two boys had passed her near the finish line. Despite her setback, Alice still managed to finish third overall. As the three champions were crowned and removed their race helmets, the huge audience was astonished to discover that the third-place finisher was a girl, the only girl among the hundreds of boys who entered the inaugural Soap Box Derby.
Alice placed third again in the 1934 race that quickly drew entrants from all over the nation. In 1935, the official Soap Box Derby was moved to Akron, Ohio and girls were banned from the annual races until 1971.
Author Elizabeth Tracy’s narrative of Alice Johnson’s historic accomplishment is an exciting account of one young girl’s courage and initiative. Even so, enterprising readers may find Elizabeth Tracy’s expository back matter particularly informative. Tracy outlines the physics of soap box derby cars that include the forces of gravity and friction. She notes laws of physics articulated by Sir Isaac Newton centuries earlier. Driving skills are also highlighted. Two bibliographies are very informative as is the Author Note that salutes Alice Johnson’s remarkable life accomplishments. Among other things, Alice Johnson was the valedictorian of her high school graduating class.
Anna Aronson’s colorful illustrations are simple yet illuminating. The variety of derby cars from simple to sophisticated is revealed in charming images with a flavor of both the Depression era and the early attempts to create the first American soap box vehicles. The blueprints of Alice’s derby car design are particularly valuable. Aronson also captures the excitement and drama of the very first American Soap Box Derby race held in Dayton, Ohio in 1933.
Home and School Activities
History. Soap Box Derby. Mystery Driver retells the story of what many writers refer to as the “official” American debut of the gravity racing sport that is often referred to as “the greatest amateur racing event in the world.” Alice Johnson’s personal story is set in Dayton, Ohio in 1933 on the city’s steepest street, Burkhardt Hill. An enlarged race was repeated in Dayton in the summer of 1934. In 1935, the race became a national event and was moved to Akron, Ohio to what is now known as Derby Downs. Many cities across America sponsored their own Soap Box Derby events for youths. For a time, the world championship was officially sponsored by the Chevrolet Motor Company. Using the many print and digital resources provided in Mystery Driver and with further information sources, encourage youth to write a history of this volunteer and family-oriented sporting event. Be sure that writers highlight the role of girls in the history of this youth sporting event. A bonus will be a visual timeline to enhance the historical text.
Biography. Sir Isaac Newton. Young derby racers in both the past and present may be unaware that their gravity-driven coaster vehicles are based on scientific principles articulated by one of the greatest physicists of all time, Sir Isaac Newton. Urge researchers to explore the life and work of Newton and create an easy-reading illustrated biography of both his life and his contributions to the history of physics. His first law of motion is a critical component in derby vehicle design.
Mechanics of Soap Box Derby Vehicles. Urge young readers to explore the verbal and visual tools of the construction of Soap Box Derby gravity-racing coasters showcased in Mystery Driver. While many original conveyances were built using wooden packing crates, other creators used sheets of tin for the bodies of their racers. Ask readers to explore, explain, and illustrate the blueprints of Alice Johnson. Describe and illustrate such coaster components of wooden and metal bodies, rubber tires, ball bearings, brakes, and steering systems. Alice Johnson was a pioneer in using an airplane nose cone design to create a sleeker surface for her derby car.
Current Design. A Soap Box Derby for 2026. Search the Internet for contemporary designs and kits to create present-day Soap Box Derby coasters. Use the blueprints in Mystery Driver as models for contemporary student models. Inspire gifted students to be engineers. What features of invention highlight their designs for 2026 entries of “the greatest amateur racing event in the world
