Around the World in 100 Days

Gr 5-8 Whileas Fogg made the voyage in 80 days, and in this imaginative historical adventure his son, Harry Fogg, has made a wager of his own. In 1891, the exuberant young man has bet that he can circle the globe in a steam-powered automobile-the "Flash"#8212;in 100 days. There's much more at stake in this challenge than just the £6,000 prize. Free-spirited Harry is determined to prove that the automobile is the transportation mode of the future. His rigid and regimented father has reluctantly agreed to cover the cost of the wager, but there's a condition: if Harry wins, he can pursue his motorcar dreams, but if he loses, he must get serious and pursue a professional career that his father deems more befitting an English gentleman. Accompanied by his gifted but quirky mechanic; an abrasive, foppish "minder" who's there to make sure the rules of the wager are followed; and an intriguing female reporter, Harry and his crew face many obstacles. Some are natural, some mechanical, and some human. Most troubling is the fact that someone-most likely one of the passengers-is apparently trying to sabotage the "Flash" Blackwood's steampunkish romp has a touch of humor and a great deal of heart, which brings readers fully onboard as they feverishly turn pages in this race against the clock.-"Jeffrey Hastings, Highlander Way Middle School, Howell, MI" Copyright 2010 Media Source Inc.

Blackwood writes a sequel of sorts to Jules Verne's classic. In 1891 Harry Fogg makes a bet with his father's old nemesis that he can circumnavigate the globe in one hundred days--this time in a steam-powered motor car. Along the way there are plenty of revelations and reversals of fortune. This road trip novel will appeal to adventure fans.