Letters About Literature

Dear Mr. Verne:

Your book, Around the World in 80 days, taught me that confidence and a positive attitude can take you a long way in life and it can rub off on others.  Phileas Fogg’s confidence and positive attitude took him from the life of man whose entire day, week, month, life was completely planned and accounted for to a state of unpredictable action and unanticipated challenge and adversity. I would not have expected that of him because your book set his character in a very rigid and predictable form when he is introduced.  I would not have guessed that Mr. Fogg, who lives a very precise life letting the clock dictate where he will be and what he will be doing, would venture outside of the safety and regularity of his daily, punctual routine.  It just goes to show that you can’t judge a book by its cover – no pun intended.  That is what makes this book so good.  Just when you think there might not be a lot of action, it turns out to be nothing but action.

This book also taught me that it can be fun to read about other countries and cultures.  Reading a story that takes place in the 1800’s isn’t something I would usually do, but after reading this book, I found that you never know where you’re going to find a good story.  It’s actually fun to learn about different places in the world, the cultures, the landscape, and the modes of transportation among other things.  If they could only write history books that way, it would be much more interesting.

I feel like your goal was to entertain the reader and take them on an unpredictable adventure.  There is also mystery, suspense, and fantasy.  It’s cool to see how an author can mix all of these elements and make them work together.  Reading a book like this helps me to see how you can mix all of these elements together.  Reading doesn’t just improve your ability to read, but it all can improve your ability to write and your overall knowledge.

I think the best part is that you made the story exciting and humorous which made me want to keep reading so I could find out what happens next.  Just when I thought the story was over and Phileas Fogg had lost the bet, I learned about the International Date Line and the story gave me one last surprise – victory for Mr. Fogg.  Choosing which book to read is a personal preference for each person, but, for me, there is nothing better than being assigned a book to read and actually enjoying it.  It really makes you want to read more.  The greatest thing I learned is to keep your mind open to reading, because you might be surprised at how much you enjoy it.

Sincerely,

Cody Zamora
Carbondale Community High School