This was part of my childhood "Step-up Books" set, and I remember thinking it was meant for boys, but I read it a few times anyway. This was my introduction to Evil Kinevil, and if I remember correctly, it also talked about Harry Houdini.
Evel Knievel did the weirdest things, like jumping across canyons on a motorcycle. He also jumped across man-eating sharks and boxes of rattlesnakes (about 500 in each box)!