Alastair HumphreysEye Books The Boy Who Biked the World: Riding Home Through Asia Part 3

My 7year old is a fan of this series, finished the book in one evening.

The last installment of Alastair Humphrey's three-part adventure series about bicycling around the world is a good read. Mr Humphreys offers a thoroughly engaging account of pushing through Siberia's winter, the beauty and wonders of spring in Japan, the sights, sounds and smells of a bustling China and the broad, empty expanses of the near east. My 10-year-old son was riveted!

The Boy who Biked the World: Riding Home Through Asia is the third book in the series about Tom's adventures cycling around the globe. In this book, we begin in Siberia, with an explosive downhill tumble which launches us into the book with excitement. From crossing snow covered expanses to watching Sumo wrestlers, talking to camels to cycling through busy Beijing, Tom's journey is one of adventure, thrills and danger.Alastair Humphreys' message to all would be travellers is that adventure is fun! Go out there and give it a whirl, be adventurous, don't be frightened and don't get stuck in one place 'where the grass don't shine'. Age doesn't matter, nor does the ability to speak a language - friendliness does! Show friendship to others, and they may well show friendship to you. Be kind to others, and they may well be kind to you.We read this book as a group in our class this half term. What we liked most was the humour - particularly when he falls down the mountain on his bike and when he talks to the camel. We loved learning about different countries and liked the way the book was divided into chapters, with a chapter for each different country. The maps helped you to follow Tom's journey.We would recommend this book to children aged 8 - 11, boys and girls. It's a book that will inspire you to adventure, and make you think about the world around you. We think that Alastair Humphreys should now put all the books together in a trilogy, too!By Edward, Aidan, Letia, Lauren & Oscar (Y5)

Great adventure and a great book

TBWBTW 3 has finally given us a quiet life, after over a year of 'but mum, he hasn't got all the way around in these two books'.Son #1 has read all 3. This one arrived last week and was almost inhaled, within hours of opening. He then went back to books 1 and 2, to "read them in the right order". They've been taken into school to 'show and tell'. We are living in hope that the school library might get them and encourage other boys (and girls) to read something that's not about football or fairies (apologies to Frank Lampard et al. but bleurghhhh!).Son#2 is now reading this one as well (with a bit of help from Geography teacher husband, who gives his stamp of approval, and says that they should be on the curriculum for many reasons beyond just Geography) - tonight's instalment brought much hilarity in the form of the Siberian long-drop ("it's like the 'pit of poo' where we camp" - composting toilets!).Final comment tonight was from Son#2 (aged 5). "But mum, he hasn't really been all around the world until he's been round Australia and NZ".Mum *Coughs expectantly* (and considers cycling across Antarctica then writing a book)...Thankyou for giving children a properly adventurous, thoughtful, stimulating read, inspiring travel, empathy for others and awareness of the world beyond their physical experience. Above all a spring board for the "what if" questions that lead us into many a breakfast conversation whilst perusing the world map.What next...?!PS. The TES resources have been passed on to their (primary) teachers...