Accessibility Tools

Web Accessibility plugin by DJ-Extensions.com
Skip to main content
Cover of Clara Poole and the Long Way Round. Steampunk-looking hot air balloon dominates the cover, with another blimp in the background. There are two people with white blond hair in the basket of the balloon, and a small teapot shaped cabin below the basket.

Clara Poole and the Long Way Round

Written by alamancelibraries on . Posted in Book Reviews.

Cover of Clara Poole and the Long Way Round. Steampunk-looking hot air balloon dominates the cover, with another blimp in the background. There are two people with white blond hair in the basket of the balloon, and a small teapot shaped cabin below the basket.

Tyng, Taylor. Clara Poole and the Long Way Round. New York : Pixel+Ink, [2023].

Content Warnings: Death of a Parent, Grief

“I’d give anything to fly.”

When twelve-year old Clara Poole is given the chance to join a hot air balloon race across the world, she jumps at the opportunity… even if that means running away from home. Working alongside a grumpy veteran pilot who prefers her monkey companions to humans, Clara learns the ropes in this high-stakes environment full of treacherous obstacles that spans from Paris to the Sahara to Hong Kong. However, the race poses more challenges than Clara expected: someone is trying to sabotage the competition, making it even more dangerous.

Reminiscent of the works of Jules Verne and Roald Dahl, Clara Poole and the Long Way Round is a delightful globe-trotting adventure through the skies with an eclectic cast of characters ideal for readers in upper elementary and middle school (grades 4-7). I would also recommend this book to fans of Mr. Limoncello’s Library series.

Check out a physical copy from Alamance County Public Libraries or a digital copy through NC Kids Level Up (Overdrive)!


Sara D. is a Library Assistant at Graham Public Library.

Leave a Reply