The Boy Who Biked the World: Part Two: Riding the Americas (2) - Softcover

Humphreys, Alastair

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1903070872 ISBN 13: 9781903070871

Publisher: Eye Books, 2015

Synopsis

In volume two of this marvelous cycling adventure, Tom—a young English boy who decides cycling solo around the world would be a better classroom than the confines of school—heads north from the tip of South America
 
Having cycled the depth of Europe and the length of Africa, Tom now decides to make his way through the Americas. With a long "uphill" struggle facing him, Tom has the massive Andes and raging Amazon to contend with in South America, deserts and grizzly bears in North America, and a colorful array of characters all along the way. With engaging illustrations, maps, and handwritten journal entries throughout, this book provides an immersive experience for any young adventurer.

About this title

About the Author

Alastair Humphreys spent four years cycling around the world, a journey of 46,000 miles across five continents. He also competed in the Marathon des Sables, the "toughest race on earth," running 150 miles through the Sahara desert. He is the author of Moods of Future Joys, Ten Lessons from the Road, and Thunder & Sunshine. Tom Morgan-Jones is an award-winning illustrator whose work has been widely and internationally published, from children’s books and magazines to satirical board games.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The Boy Who Biked The World

By Alastair Humphreys, Tom Morgan-Jones

Eye Books Ltd

Copyright © 2014 Alastair Humphreys
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-903070-87-1

Contents

Tom's Route Round the World, 
Banana Crisis on the High Seas, 
Patagonia: Land of Big-Footed Giants, 
Adventures in the Andes, 
Bolivia: A High, Cold World of Wonders, 
The Witches of La Paz, 
The Marvels and Mysteries of Peru, 
Lunchtime in Ecuador, 
Cycling Through Colombia, 
Canals and Crocodiles, 
Volcanoes, Jungle and Desert Mirages, 
Hollywood and Giant Redwoods, 
The Sea-To-Sky Highway, 
The Tom-Tiki, 
Alaska: The Final Road To The Midnight Sun, 
The Boy Who Biked the World: Part 3, 
Your Journal, 
About Eye Books, 
About the Author, 

CHAPTER 1

Banana Crisis on the High Seas

Tom was sweating. He was nervous. Really nervous. He jiggled up and down, fidgeting from one foot to the other. If you were looking at Tom, you might have thought that he was desperate for the toilet. But this was even more serious than that! Tom was in a hurry, perhaps the biggest hurry he had ever been in. And nobody seemed to care. It appeared — as he bobbed up and down looking at his watch every single second — that everybody was moving in slow motion.

A man strolled about, looking as though he had not a care in the world. A lady was standing still and shaking her shoulders to the beat of the music in her headphones. Standing still! How could anyone have the time to just stand and stare in one place?! Oh dear, oh dear, thought poor Tom. I really am in trouble now. I really am late ...

In front of him was the cause of Tom's problems. A little old lady. To anyone else, she appeared to be a nice, kind, slightly slow old lady. A little bit like your own Grandma, perhaps. Tom was behind her in the queue and she was taking an age to pay for her shopping.

"Come on!" screamed Tom inside his head. "Hurry up! Please!"

He was too polite to actually shout this out loud, though he very much wanted to. He was trying everything he could think of, all his superhero powers of firing laser beams from his eyes or shrinking her to the size of an ant, or making her explode. But nothing he did seemed to work. Because Tom did not have any super powers. He was just a normal boy. The little old lady was in absolutely no hurry. Tom's journey round the world was about to come crashing to a halt. He couldn't decide whether to scream or to cry. So instead he just jiggled a bit more, sweated a bit more, and looked at his watch again and again.

He was going to miss the boat.

* * *

"Don't miss the boat, young Tom!" were the last words Captain Horrocks had said. "We can't wait: we leave at high tide."

Captain Horrocks was about to sail across the Atlantic Ocean on his small yacht, Damsel. He had kindly invited Tom to join his crew on the adventurous crossing from Africa to South America.

Tom had set off from his home to try to ride his bike all the way round the world. He had already pedalled from England to South Africa. Now he needed to get across the ocean so that he could cycle up the Americas. Tom didn't want to travel by aeroplane — there is no adventure on an aeroplane, only soggy food and annoyingly small TV screens. So Captain Horrocks' invitation to sail to South America was an exciting opportunity. The chance might not come again.

Captain Horrocks and his crew had been hard at work to get the boat ready. Everything needs to be in good condition before you set out to cross an ocean. They repaired ever

Edition details

• Publisher: Eye Books
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1903070872
• ISBN 13: 9781903070871
• Binding: Paperback
• Illustrator: Morgan-Jones Tom
• Number of pages: 192