When she was 19 years old Zara Rutherford set off on a daunting adventure to become the youngest woman to fly solo around the world. I Flew Around the World, Zara’s chronicle of her journey, is an enthralling read covering a wide range of subject matter. We learn about her preparations, the mechanics of flight, the geography and wildlife of the countries she flew over and landed in and the challenges she faced along the way. Over five months and thirty one countries Zara’s inspiring journey will educate and inspire a new generation of scientists and aviators.

This well presented book is extremely engaging. Zara Rutherford’s distinctive narrative voice is relatable for children and the book features photos from Zara and her family plus clear and helpful illustrations by Jiatong Liu. Beginning with the meticulous preparations such as clothing, kit and route choice, and incorporating facts about flight, the mechanics of Zara’s plane plus the history of manned flight this is a great way of learning about aviation through an enjoyable narrative. The clear diagrams of the cockpit and the plane help explain the systems and the physics behind her world breaking achievement.

There is a combination of diary entry, key facts and information plus a personal view of places, people and society in different countries conveyed in a friendly and child friendly manner. Zara’s many challenges included flying close to the wildfires in California in 2021 and being stuck in Siberia for three weeks due to the weather conditions. Through Zara’s journey the reader will also learn about earthquakes, typhoons and air pollution and in each case their importance to both the challenge of the journey and to the population affected by them is explained. On a lighter note there is a world map illustrating the author’s favourite foods from around the world such as moose spaghetti in Alaska and mahi-mahi fish from the Caribbean. This balance of the the personal and the scientific is striking across the whole book and is a great way for children to learn from an enjoyable factual book.

Zara’s journey took five months in total and her story ends with the news that she is now studying electrical engineering at university with dreams of space travel next on her list. An inspirational young woman and one whose story will fascinate and inspire young readers. This would be an excellent purchase for primary school libraries and classrooms. I Flew Around The World was published by Dorling Kindersley on 7th November for age 7+ and I should like to thank the publisher and Sally Oliphant for my review copy.