Where do you really want to go in the world?

The Boy Who Biked The World

By Alastair Humphreys @Al_Humphreys

Illustrated by Tom Morgan-Jones @TomMorganJones

Published by: Eye Books @EyeAndLightening

Published on: April 2011

Price: £7.99

First line: Tom forced himself to keep smiling as the chief handed him a bowl of steaming blood and milk.

Genre: Adventure

Age: 8+

ISBN: 978 1 903070 75 8

What’s it all about? Tom, a dreamy Primary school kid is always been told off or laughed at by people for thinking about distant places in the world. So, one day, he has enough and announces that he is going to go around the world. On his bike. Everyone laughs, but Tom has set his mind to it. With his younger sister, his mum and his dad’s advice, Tom prepares for the journey and then sets of bright and early in the morning heading south. His journey is captured in the first person in his diary and through the story. He tells of his troubles in finding the way, trusting people and also the amazing sights he sees on his visit. This book takes Tom from England to South Africa, and is the first of three books chronicling his whole journey around the world. The story is strongly based on the author’s own experiences of travelling around the world by bike in his early 20s!

Why should I read it? The book is a really clear read, with a strong moral message. This book is a wonderful resource for PSHE or RE – Tom is incredibly respectful and delighted by all the countries, cultures, sights and people that he meets on his journey and it is a very positive book towards our planet. Tom is honest about his highs and lows and how he grinds through the miles with attitude. It would also fit in really well with work being done in geography about the different countries he visits and cultural comparisons with the UK. You could also link the read to learning about time, time zones, longitude and latitude. Personally, I was fascinated by the idea of Ethiopia starting their day at a different time!