Who Was Jules Verne [Paperback]

Meet the father of science fiction, Jule Verne.

Born in France in 1829, Jules Verne always dreamed of adventure. At age 11, he snuck onboard a ship headed for the Indies only to be discovered by his father and have his dreams dashed. After his father made him swear to only travel in his imagination, Verne kept his promise for the rest of his life. He began writing adventure stories as a young man and became a popular writer throughout France. Known for mixing scientific discovery and literature in his books likeTwenty Thousand Leagues Under the SeaandAround the World in 80 Days, Verne is often called The Father of Science Fiction. James Buckley, Jr. has written more than 50 books for kids, includingWho Was Ernest Shackleton?andWho Was Roberto Clemente?Who Was Jules Verne?
 
Jules Verne had longed to travel his whole life. He had grown up in eastern France, on an island in a river that led to the Atlantic Ocean. He had loved the ships that stopped regularly at the river port. As a boy, he had marveled at their tall masts and had been amazed at the cargo they carried into France: cocoa, spices, sugar, and exotic fruit such as mangoes.
 
By the time he was thirty-one, Jules had written poetry, plays, and magazine articles. But he wanted to write a book. He dreamed of writing an adventure story that would excite readers about the world around them.
 
He had read about some of the amazing places the world had to offer. He had read about British castles and the mysterious Scottish Highlands. He had read novels about knights and princes. He had also read books by Charles Dickens that described life in England. Now he was finally going to see those places in person. In the summer of 1859, Jules and a friend set sail from France to the islands of the United Kingdom.
 
The pair sailed on a cargo ship called theHamburg. As the ship cut through the cold waters of the Atlantic,lÃ'