In Search of the Castaways; or the Children of Captain Grant

A message in a bottle, found inside a shark caught at sea, reveals that a Scottish sea captain, Grant, is shipwrecked somewhere on the 37th parallel. His young daughter and son appeal for help, and Lord Glenarvan, a generous Scottish nobleman, sails aboard the yacht Duncan to find him. The search leads across South America, Australia and New Zealand, through mountains, plains and difficult encounters with people and nature. The novel combines geography, riddle-solving and a strong cast, including the absent-minded French geographer Paganel, and it is a fine example of Verne's globe-spanning adventures.