By: Jules VernePlot: A professor discovers a manuscript that has instructions on how to get the the center of the Earth by a man who claims to have made the journey before. The story is narrated by his nephew who he takes with him.
My Thoughts: At first I was really liking this book. I enjoyed the whole 'secret message' scenario, even with the wimpy narrator Axel. And then there came fifty (or so) pages of oh so boring travel. It's almost halfway through the book before they even start their decent into the Earth! It was so hard to get through and by now Axel has really started to bug me. He whines the whole time about how they're going to die and he wants to turn back. What boy isn't excited to go on an adventure like this? I wish his beloved Grauben would have come along and then maybe he wouldn't have been so whinny. Or, honestly I wish she would have come instead of him.
Once they finally start their real journey the story picks up, but by then I don't really care anymore. And honestly who doesn't bring water? Water! That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard of. And another thing, (while I'm on a roll here) they find a person (!) a seemingly HUMAN person (!!) and then they just leave!!! Like, nah, that's not interesting at all. Come on Jules, what are you thinking? That would have been so much cooler to read about than Axel getting lost in a tunnel.
This book is barely over two hundred pages and it took me nearly two weeks to get through. It would have been so much better without all that pointless travel in the beginning and gotten more into the whole center of the Earth thing. And then *spoiler alert* they don't even make it to the center!! What?! What was the point then? Oddly enough though, I would still pick up another Jules Vern book. I haven't given up on him yet.
Favorite Quote: "Ah, those women and young girls--female hearts--always incomprehensible. You are either the most timid or the bravest of beings. Reason has nothing to do with you."
Rating: 2/5 It was ok.