I Flew Around the World

At just 19, Zara Rutherford set off to fly solo around the world, becoming the youngest female pilot to do so. ‘I Flew Around the World’ is her account of this incredible journey, the places she visited, things she saw and people she met.

The book is a fascinating read, starting with the meticulous planning which led to turning her dream into reality. Extremely engaging, the content is presented in a variety of ways, including diary entries, sections of information, fact boxes and labelled diagrams. Colourful illustrations make the book attractive, but there are also photos of Zara, her cats and her experiences which engage the reader directly with her travels.

Children can follow the route of her inspirational journey on the map provided and learn how her plane works before sharing her adventures, gaining a personal view of the places she visited, as she faced the challenges posed by typhoons, earthquakes, wildfires on her way. Amongst these experiences, she shares some of the ‘speciality’ dishes she tried- like moose spaghetti- and her delight at meeting up with her parents in Mexico.

The book would make an excellent addition to school libraries, but would also make an excellent guided reading text, offering plenty to discuss and many cross-curricular links as well as being extremely inspirational, showing that determination and courage can help you achieve your dreams. Zara is also a shining role model for any young girls, particularly those keen to pursue STEM subjects- she is now studying electrical engineering at university. However, I challenge anyone not to be inspired by her story!

I Flew Around the World

Zara Rutherford, illustrated by Jiatong Liu

DK ISBN: 978-0241662311