Around the World in a Hundred Years (Hardcover)

by Jean Fritz (Author) "IF YOU WERE TO LOOK AT A MAP of the world as it appeared to people in Europe six hundred or more years ago in..." (more)
Key Phrases: Prince Henry, Vasco da Gama, John Cabot (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Noted biographer and historian Fritz ( Bully for You, Teddy Roosevelt ) offers a wickedly funny look at 10 explorers who, between 1421 and 1522, ventured into what contemporaneous mapmakers called the Unknown. While presenting the salient facts, Fritz approaches them with playful irreverence; accordingly, the frequently traveled material can seem refreshingly new. Discussing Amerigo Vespucci, she writes, "Some give him credit for recognizing a continent when he saw one. Others call him an out-and-out faker." This tone proves especially effective when Fritz addresses such problematic issues as the treatment of native people and the often accidental nature of many of the discoveries. Reflecting the humor of Fritz's text, Venti's lighthearted black-and-white drawings use subtle strokes, as in a picture of Balboa, heavily in debt, stowed away on a ship and peering out from the barrel he'd hidden inside. Readable, attractive maps begin each chapter, providing useful visual references for each voyager's route. Ages 7-11.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-7-A look at "the first great wave of European exploration" (1421-1522) through brief portraits of various participants. Fritz does many things well here. She writes with ease and humor, including details that add color and humanity to historical figures, and skillfully incorporates research into her narrative. She presents the heroic aspects of the voyages, as well as evidence of the arrogance, cruelty, and greed many of these men displayed. Despite all the good attributes, the book suffers because of the complexity of the subject matter. By including so many different individuals, the issue becomes complicated; after a while, the Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese names start to run together. Some of the men's lifetimes and discoveries overlap, which makes it even more difficult to sort out who did what... and when. The illustrations are beautiful, entertaining, Renaissance-inspired pencil drawings. They include many amusing touches, such as the island of Porto Santo being overtaken by rabbits, but because they are in black and white and almost too finely drawn, they do not have a great deal of child appeal. A map at the beginning of each chapter shows the explorer's route. An outline of the continents appears on the end papers, but there aren't enough world maps throughout the book to enable readers to get a more complete picture of how the "discovered" countries fit into the world as a whole. The text is not straightforward enough for reports, but interested readers may enjoy perusing these tales of adventure and scientific discovery.
Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (March 23, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399225277
• ISBN-13: 978-0399225277
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #119,673 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lively history of the Age of Exploration--warts and all., March 18, 2004

By A Customer

This is the first popular book I have seen on the Age of Exploration that lets the reader in on important details that have been evaluated honestly in scholarly works for decades, but which our more traditional popularizers have tended to gloss over in favor of the notion that the Europeans who led the continent's conquest of the world were all both unstoppable and righteous.

(See John H. Perry's "Establishment of the European Hegemony, 1415-1715" (HarperCollins, 1961) for a good example of a more scholarly work that also includes all the warts in its accounts of the famous Age.)

It's a lively, easy-to-read book, and it does a good job of telling both the heroic and the not-so-heroic aspects of the story.

Well done.

28 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Humorous but inaccurate, January 25, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Around the World in a Hundred Years (Paperback)

The inaccuracies which plague this book are many. The author has allowed a vitriolic personal bias against Christianity to take the place of historical accuracy. In addition to the stunning inaccuracies, the venomous, contemptuous tone of every reference to the Christian faith is problematic. In this day of tolerance, it is surprising that anyone would allow their personal prejudices to be so visible and so hateful, especially in a book for children! In a book which is supposedly based upon history, it is surprising that anyone would print out-and-out lies such as are found in this book. Why did I give it two stars? Because the text, when it is not too busy attacking the author's imaginary archenemy, is refreshing and useful. It is humorous, winsomely written, and fun. The illustrations are great, too. It's sad that the author's personal biases have marred this otherwise fine work.

34 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Two thumbs down..., March 6, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Around the World in a Hundred Years (Paperback)

I was so looking forward to digging into this book with my kids, so we could "explore" the age of exploration. We have enjoyed many of the books by Jean Fritz, especially those written about Colonial and Revolutionary America, but this one should not be included in that list.

Ms. Fritz has an apparent personal dislike for certain groups of people and makes her dislike abundantly clear throughout the work. Unfortunately, this bigoted approach leaves such a bad taste in the reader's mouth that the entire story becomes unpalatable. The worst result of this approach is that Ms. Fritz has decided to rewrite history based on her own personal opinion instead of actual fact. This is a NON-FICTION book, so by inserting fiction into the equation, she has destroyed the trust that a reader should have in an author.

All in all, I was sadly disappointed and will definitely question reading more of this author's work in the future.