Around the World in 100 Days by Gary L. Blackwood

Blackwood (The Great Race) ably infuses their voyage with coming-of-age themes: Not only does Harry want to 'prove the worth of the Flash and of motorcars in general,' but he also wants to prove himself to his father, who has made Harry promise that if he loses, he will 'take up some profession appropriate for a gentleman.' Newspaper dispatches and various details about the countries they cross-from the landscape to food and politics-further enliven an adventure that makes good on its innovative premise.

So along with a brilliant but shy mechanic, a sly female journalist, and the son of his opponent. He has made a bet that he can drive a steam-powered motor-car around the world in 100 days. Together, they face a near collision with a train, raging wildfires, sabotage, and even kidnapping. Picking up where Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days left off, Phileas Fogg's teenage son, Harry, is in trouble. He can board ships as necessary with the contraption, but he must arrive back in London within 100 days.

Impulsive Harry is joined by his friend/mechanic, an 'impartial observer' (really, the uptight son of one of his competitors), and a feisty reporter. Around the World in 100 Days Blackwood, Gary 3.74 avg rating (308 ratings by Goodreads) Softcover ISBN 10: 014241963XISBN 13: 9780142419632 Publisher: Puffin Books, 2011 This specific ISBN edition is currently not available. The young man-about-town succumbs to the challenge of mean-spirited businessmen who view him as an easy mark, challenging him to drive his newfangled steam-powered motor car around the world. Harry bets men at his father's Reform Club £6,000 that he can drive his car, the Flash, around the world in 100 days (the motorcar may be shipped across bodies of water). Positioned as a sequel of sorts to Jules Verne's Around the World in 80 Days, Blackwood's story centers on Harry, the carefree son of legendary adventurer Phileas Fogg.

Around the World in 100 Days by Gary L. Blackwood