Best Picture Books of 2019, The Christian Science Monitor A Mighty Girl's 2019 Books of the Year Kirkus Reviews' Best Indie Picture Books of 2020 The true story of two women who raced against time?and each other! In 1889, New York reporter Nellie Bly?inspired by Jules Verne's Around the World in 80 Days ?began a circumnavigation she hoped to complete in less time. Her trip was sponsored by her employer, The World . Just hours after her ship set out across the Atlantic, another New York publication put writer Elizabeth Bisland on a westbound train. Bisland was headed around the world in the opposite direction, thinking she could beat Bly's time. Only one woman could win the race, but both completed their journeys in record time.