Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne

I am a big fan of classic literature, but have somehow made it to this point in my life without having read anything by Jules Verne. The kids and I have been wanting to read this book for years, after hearing Doc and Marty talk about Jules Verne in Back to the Future 3. So we started it as our before bed read a couple of months back. One chapter at a time and we finished it earlier this week. We all loved it!

This is the story of Phileas Fogg and his servant, Passepartout, who embark on a journey around the world to settle a bet between Fogg and some of his friends. The book was published in 1873, so the idea of travelling around the world in so short a time was absurd. But Fogg was convinced he could do it, so he and Passepartout set off, leaving London behind them. Their adventure took them all around the world, using all kinds of means of travel, from elephant to ocean liner. They encounter lots of interesting characters in their journey, who add a lot of excitement to the trip. There is also a case of mistaken identity, which makes you wonder if Fogg truly is who you think he is. The ending was very exciting and had us on the edge of our seats. We couldn't wait to hear how it ended.

The language is a bit old fashioned, as you would expect from a book published in 1873. I had to paraphrase a few times, but on the whole we just loved it. Up next, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.