I have never read anything by Jules Verne. Would it be shameful to admit most of what I know of him is from the Back to the Future trilogy?
Mater Amabilis recommends three works of classic literature for the first year of Level 3 (sixth grade) including Around the World in Eighty Days. I attempt to pre-read most books before my children read them so I can talk intelligently about them and, sometimes, decide against them. So I checked out a copy of Verne's book and settled down for a read...after two pages I wanted to give up. It was just...painful...and if I wanted to give up, what hope did First Son have?
Then inspiration struck! Jules Verne wrote in French! My
Armed with an ISBN number, I purchased a copy. It did not disappoint. A trek around the world with Jules Verne was cheeky, adventurous, enlightening, and satisfying. I'm still contemplating it weeks later, which is one of the characteristics of the best books.
A note of caution: Verne's text contains a number of allusions to adult themes. Most of them will probably go right over First Son's head. I missed a number of them myself (being apparently remarkably innocent despite my
If you haven't, read some Verne.