Clara Poole and the Long Way Round

By: Jamie Steinberg

Clara Poole is not an aeronaut. She’s just a young girl who rose to infamy when she took flight in a lawn chair held aloft by balloons (think the movie Up) over Michigan thanks to her class science project. However, her new claim to fame earns her an invitation to become the spokesperson for and participant in a round-the-world hot air balloon race. Eager to change her stars (she’s experienced a significant loss for someone so young) and get some space from her overprotective father, Clara accepts and heads off to Paris to begin an adventure of a lifetime. Will Clara’s defiance earn her a spot in WOOBA (World Organization of Balloon Aeronauts) history? Pick up Taylor Tyng’s Clara Poole and the Long Way Round to see for yourself.

A strike of lightning alters Clara Poole’s life forever. It is also what has kept her father hovering over her to the point of being overprotective. In fact, thanks to Clara’s latest antics he wants to uproot the family and give them a brand-new start in Chicago. Hoping to avoid that happening and unbeknownst to her father, Clara accepts a wild offer to join the historic 100^th anniversary WOOBA race, which promises to take her around the world. Upon arrival at the event Clara learns that each pilot must have a (human) co-pilot and is therefore partnered with veteran (elderly) pilot Greta Gildersleeve. Gildersleeve is not so pleased, and neither is Clara’s father when he arrives in Paris to reclaim his rogue daughter. However, since Clara has already signed on the dotted line the race must go on!

Along the way the formerly solitary Clara makes some pint-sized racing pals (human and monkey) all the while traversing ten treacherous stages in the race. Not everyone is a friendly face though as there is one competitor not so willing to welcome Clara to the skies – Godfrey Sway. He has won the race seven times before and is displeased by his former mentor Gildersleeve returning to the competition. Ever the daredevil, Clara is not going to sit by and let this or any forks in the sky (someone is sabotaging balloons) ruin the adventure of a lifetime. The book is a bit long, in my opinion, however; each character you meet and each event that takes place makes it completely worth waiting it out.

A mixture of the movies Up and Rat Race and a dash of the TV show “The Amazing Race,” Tyng’s book Clara Poole and the Long Way Round is a sweet and fun-filled read. You’ll turn page after page excited to see where Clara, her father, her mentor, her friends and Amelia (the balloon Gildersleeve and Poole are in) land themselves and whose feet find themselves in first place at the finish line. Do yourself a favor and pick up this book but avoid sharing any of your sugary snacks with Hatsu (you’ll thank me later).