Around the World by Matt Phelan

Summary from Dust Jacket: As the nineteenth century wound down, a public inspired by the novel Around the World in Eighty Days clamored for intrepid adventure. The challenge of circumnavigating the globe as no one ever had before--a feat assuring fame if not fortune--attracted the fearless in droves. Three hardy spirits stayed the course: In 1884, former miner Thomas Stevens made the journey on a bicycle, the kind with a big front wheel. In 1889, pioneer reporter Nellie Bly embarked on a global race against time that assumed the heights of spectacle, ushering in the age of the American celebrity. And in 1895, retired sea captain Joshua Slocum quietly set sail on a thirty-six-foot sloop, braving pirates and treacherous seas to become the first person to sail around the world alone. With cinematic pacing and deft, expressive art, acclaimed graphic novelist Matt Phelan weaves a trio of epic journeys into a single bold tale of three visionaries who set their sights on nothing short of the world.

What I thought: This is the type of graphic novel that I like. It reads easily and quickly...almost like a comic book. The stories themselves are very interesting. I know about Nellie Bly, but I'd never heard of Thomas Stevens and Joshua Slocum. Their adventures were page turning. The author's note was informative. I've often found myself wondering about people I know or read about. You see one side of them. What goes on when they're not at work? After reading Around the World, Phelan's other graphic novel, The Storm in the Barn, is now on my to read list.

(Candlewick, 2011)