Series ✦ Penny’s Take
Around the World in 80 Days Illustrated
Jules Verne · 2021
78/100
👍 Worth It
Verne's globe-trotting adventure remains one of the most propulsive and entertaining novels ever written, and the 2021 illustrated edition gives the material fresh visual life. The colonial-era racism and dehumanizing depictions of indigenous peoples are a real problem that older readers and educators need to actively address — this is not a book you hand a twelve-year-old without context. With that honest caveat, the story's wit, ingenuity, and momentum still earn their place on the shelf.
✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
⚠ Parent note — our reviewers flagged: Colonial-era racist and dehumanizing depictions of indigenous peoples including Sioux and Indian characters; requires critical framing for classroom or younger readers. We still scored it 78; these are context for your family, not an automatic skip.
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Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
safety60
substance80
craft88
originality85
accuracy78
hype80
age-fit65
human-eye82
Penny’s verdict78
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