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Informationen zum Autor James Buckley, Jr. has written more than 50 books for kids, including Who Was Ernest Shackleton? and Who Was Roberto Clemente? Klappentext 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 like Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and Around the World in 80 Days , Verne is often called "The Father of Science Fiction." 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 the Hamburg . As the ship cut through the cold waters of the Atlantic, Jules was overjoyed. He stayed up at night to look at the stars. By day, he stood at the rail and watched the ocean ahead for signs of land. After the two friends arrived in Liverpool, England, they took a train to Scotland. There Jules was stunned by the high mountains, the huge rolling valleys, and the misty lakes. Jules saw the mystical Northern Lights—waves of colored lights visible in certain places north of the Equator—and went deep into mines in the hills. On the way home, they also visited the famous city of London. After he returned to France, Jules knew what he wanted to write about. Within a year, he had started work on the adventure novels that would make him one of the world’s most popular authors. The young boy who had marveled at the ships bringing the world to him grew up to be a writer who took readers around the globe on a series of marvelous adventures. Chapter 1: The Boy Who Loved Ships Jules Verne was born on February 8, 1828, in Nantes, France. Almost as soon as he could walk, he was ready to travel. The Verne family home was located on Feydeau Island, which is in the middle of the Loire River. The island is part of the city of Nantes. After about a year, the Vernes moved into the part of the city that was on the mainland, where Jules’s brother, Paul, was born in 1829. Their father, Pierre, was a successful lawyer. The family had a nice home with room for the two maids who helped their mother, Sophie. The Vernes lived on the second floor of the building, because the first floor often flooded when the river rose above its banks. From the balconies in their home, Jules and Paul watched the boats move up and down the river. Nantes was where many ships from around the world arrived in France. A shop not far from Jules’s home sold birds and animals from far-off lands. At night, Jules could sometimes hear the cries of par...
