Caroline Starr Rose

Totally engaging story about the race to be the first women to travel around the world in 75 days. When Nellie Bly first proposed the challenge, she was turned down because she was a woman. She proposed that a man start at the same time, and she would still beat him. Little did Nellie know that her competitor would be Elizabeth Bisland. Nellie leaving from New Jersey and Elizabeth leaving from New York. What follows is an engaging account of their travels by sea and by land to see who could travel the globe the fastest.… (més)

I liked it -- as a gold rush kid's adventure goes, there's a lot of really solid history in here. I thought the level of disinterest most people displayed to the two boys was pretty accurate, and I appreciated the subliminal messaging that you make more from laundry than you do from panning for gold in gold rush times. I'm not sure I believe that the boys would have made it so far without dying from exposure, and I didn't really understand Frank Hazard's interest in Jasper, so the final plot points didn't do much for me. Still, it's a good kids adventure, with bonus points for being well rooted in particular places and time. Oh, and I liked that they started out from Kirkland, too.… (més)