In 1889, two women journalists set out to beat the elapsed time of Jules Verne’s (fictional) 80-day trip around the world. Nellie Bly, age 25, and Elizabeth Bisland, 28, working for the New York World and Cosmopolitan Magazine respectively, left New York in opposite directions to make the trip. Nellie Bly did not actually know another woman was racing her until she learned of it in Hong Kong.

The story recounts highlights from the trips of each woman, comparing and contrasting their experiences. The two women were dazzled by what they saw.

From Asia, Nellie Bly wrote, “If I loved and married, I would say to my mate: ‘Come, I know where Eden is’ . . . and desert the land of my birth for Japan.” In the Arabian desert, Elizabeth Bisland marveled, “I may never see this again, this world, where . . . the light of night and of day have a new meaning; where one is drenched and steeped in color and perfume . . .”

Nellie made it first, after “seventy-two days, six hours, and eleven minutes.” Elizabeth encountered weather problems on the ocean, “and finally drifted into New York’s harbor nearly one week later.” But she cheered for Nellie Bly.

The author contends that the true winner was “Everyone! Because Nellie and Elizabeth made the wide world suddenly feel smaller. And they showed that women - whether outgoing or introverted, rough-edged or refined - could be just as curious, capable, and courageous as any man.”

The book includes brief and enthusiastic quotations from periodicals at the time. It ends with an Author’s Note, Illustrator’s Note, photos, and timelines relating to other women investigative journalists.

Illustrations by Rebecca Gibbon reflect the historical research she put into the story.

Evaluation: Readers aged 7 and over will enjoy the breathless pace of the narration as the women race each other to set a record, and to show the world that women can do it all. ( )

This is about the true life adventure of Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland. Over 100 years ago everyone was reading a book called around the World in 80 days. Nellie Bly looking for an amazing story says she can do it and do it faster and she did. She was not only the first woman but the first person to beat the famous 80 days around the world. This may seem like a small feat in our modern society, but at the time this was major. All the newspapers followed her but she wasn’t the only one. Unbeknownst to her for most of her journey she had another reporter doing the same thing in the opposite direction. Elizabeth Bisland was the complete opposite of Nelly Bly. However she took on this quest bound and determined to do her best. This was an interesting look at both women and I really enjoyed the quotes from various historical newspapers that are included. It’s a nice antidote about historical figures we don’t normally hear about. However I find that the story with the quotes all together make it a bit convoluted and a little crazy. Overall I liked the book I just didn’t love it. ( )