Classics ClubhouseAround the World in 80 Days for Kids
An impossible bet. A $400,000 elephant. A detective who’s wrong about absolutely everything. And an ending that arrives with three seconds to spare.
The story
In 1872, the most precise gentleman in London, Phileas Fogg, bets half his fortune that he can travel all the way around the world in eighty days — and leaves that very night. With no airplanes and no cars, he races by steamship, train, and one very surprising elephant, while his cheerful French servant, Passepartout, tries to keep up.
There’s just one problem. A detective named Fix is certain that Mr. Fogg is a bank robber on the run, and he follows him across the entire planet to prove it.
Our retelling keeps Verne’s plot, his sense of wonder, and his famous twist ending, told by our family with our kids chiming in along the way. Each episode runs about 30 minutes: just right for a car ride, morning time, or a quiet afternoon.
The episodes
Four episodes, about 30 minutes each. Start with Part 1.
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Part 1
The Bet
A gentleman bets half his fortune that he can circle the globe in eighty days, and leaves that very night.
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Part 2
The Elephant
The railway across India simply ends, and the most expensive elephant in history enters the story.
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Part 3
The Rescue
A rescue at dawn, a courtroom full of shoes, a storm at sea, and a reunion nobody sees coming.
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Part 4
The Clock
Runaway trains, a ship that eats itself, five heartbreaking minutes, and the most famous twist in adventure fiction.
Talk about it
A taste of the discussion questions in the free family guide:
- Mr. Fogg lives by a perfect schedule, then bets everything on the most unpredictable trip imaginable. Why do you think he does it?
- Detective Fix is sure Mr. Fogg is the bank robber. What clues convinced him, and were they really enough?
- Mr. Fogg gives up twelve precious hours to help a stranger. What does that tell you about him?
- At the end, Mr. Fogg says he won something better than the bet. What did he really win?
For grown-ups: Our retelling is faithful to Verne’s story and gentle with its harder moments. Where the 1872 original reflects attitudes of its time, we reframe those parts thoughtfully rather than repeat them.
Get the free family guide
Discussion questions for every episode, vocabulary, a route-tracing world map, and a hands-on experiment that explains the story’s famous twist. Free: just tell us where to send it.
Free, and we never share your address.
About the book
Jules Verne (1828–1905) was a French author so far ahead of his time that he’s often called a father of science fiction. Around the World in Eighty Days appeared in 1872, just as new railways and the brand-new Suez Canal were making the world feel smaller. The novel is in the public domain; our retelling is original, written and recorded by our family. When your kids are ready, read the real book together. It’s all in there, and more.