Around the World 

by Matt Phelan

Around the World is a graphic novel that tells the stories of 3 adventurers who set out to go around the world before the age of airplanes or cars. Thomas Stevens journeyed by bicycle, the type with the big front wheel; Nellie Bly travelled by ship and train to travel the globe in seventy-four days, faster than any one had ever done it before; Joshua Slocum ventured to be the first man to sail around the world alone.  Setting up each story with background information about how each of the journeys came to be, each story takes on a life of its own and the reader gets a sense of the character of each of these individuals and what motivated them to pursue their goals.

The book tells each story beautifully. The pictures are interesting and provide context and setting to each of the journeys. I found that the quotes from the adventurers’ writings give a clear voice to each story, adding a unique clarity to the characters’ voices which allows the reader to get in the head of each of them. The book brings them all to life. 

Phelan, M. (2011). Around the world. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.