William Pne du Bois’s 1947 novel, a Newbery Medal winner, tells the adventurous story of Professor William Waterman Sherman’s sudden journey after his elaborate plan for a solitary balloon voyage throughout the Pacific goes awry. He encounters a volcanic island inhabited by a singular society with a captivating, balloon-based financial system and tradition.
This whimsical story blends components of fantasy, science fiction, and journey, capturing the imaginations of younger readers for generations. Its exploration of themes resembling group, ingenuity, and the implications of unchecked ambition gives a thought-provoking narrative that resonates past its fantastical setting. Printed within the post-World Battle II period, the narrative displays a societal fascination with technological development and the attract of exploration, whereas concurrently providing a delicate commentary on consumerism and societal buildings.
