Kellie McIntyre - The Passport Project: Two Sisters Ditch Middle School for a Life-Changing Journey Around the World

The Passport Project is an enticing global travelogue led by teenagers

Foreword Reviews

[B]rilliantly captures the awkward hilarity of teen/family travel while highlighting the gift of a global worldview sprinkled with humor, moments of discovery, and appreciation for diversity and cultural awareness. This kind of perspective is so essential right now. [P]eople of all ages will read and take to heart.

Rachel Macy Stafford, New York Times Bestselling Author and Certified Special Education Teacher

I laughed. I cried. I was scared. As a history teacher, I like to think I know it all, but this book taught me so much. Geography, culture, religions, and customs I never knew existed.

J. Isbell, sixth grade social studies teacher

This book changed my familys life.

Dr. Robin Mahlow, family physician and homeschool mom

As a teacher, I am always looking for books to help students open their eyes to different points of view. The narration through the sisters makes it as engaging as it is educational.

A. Colby, eighth grade language arts teacher

THIS BOOK!! Inspiring. Fun. Educational. Page Turner. Memorable. VERY entertaining and relatable. [R]eaders are transported around the world, all from the comfort of our own homes and classrooms.

C. Wertheimer, former middle school teacher

[P]acked with harrowing travel tales and hilarious anecdotes full of cultural information. [Its] a very important read for middle grade children ... that will inspire teens and tweens to see the world from a different perspective.

C. Waddell, sixth grade social studies teacher

LOVED this book!!!! I want to go on a global family field trip now!!!

A. Romp, pediatric nurse

The idea for this book emerged during the Dumpster-fire summer of 2020. While the nation and world imploded, I felt compelled to create somethinganythingthat would unify rather than divide. But what could I do? Like everyone else, I was trapped at home trying to figure out how to navigate our new normal.

Then it hit me.

People always say to write what you know, and I know two things: One, there is no better way to gain an appreciation for freedom and diversity than through travel. And two, anyone who survives 24/7 family time while hopscotching across the globe has a story to tell.

And so it began.

However, instead of writing another round-the-world memoir for adults, I thought it would be far more entertaining to share our story from my (then) 14- and 12-year-old daughters perspectives. While conversations have been reconstructed to the best of my ability, the spirit of the dialogue is accurate.

In addition to the dramatic and traumatic moments seared into my grey matter, Delaney and Rileys old blog posts and personal journals proved invaluable in stitching together our story. They have assured me that Ive accurately and painfully portrayed their charactersawkward moments, (pre)teenage anxiety, and all.

All events are true, especially the ones we wish werent. In a few cases, timelines have been adjusted for storytelling purposes. Some names have been changed to protect the innocent or guilty.

I hope you learn a little, laugh a lot, and fall in love with the world along the way.

Hey yall,

What would you do if your parents said:

Weve come up with a brilliant idea! Were going on a global adventure. You wont go to school, see your friends, play your favorite sport, or go to any parties or dances for five months. You can only take one suitcase, three pairs of shoes, and you have to pack for hot and cold weather. And as a bonus? You get to spend 24/7 with your parents.

Would you squeal with delight? Or squall with dread?

Would you hug them? Or hate them?

That is exactly what our parents did. This is our story.

bubble

noun bubble | \ b-bl \

: an enclosed or isolated sphere of experience or activity in which the like-minded members of a homogeneous community support and reinforce their shared opinions.

Merriam-Webster.com. 2022.

Why fit in when you were born to stand out?

Dr. Seuss

Delaney, 13

H ow am I supposed to choke this down? Its taco night, which I normally love. But Im too nervous to eator play the High-Low game.

My high was winning the coffee-grinder dance contest in gym. I even beat the boys. Riley wipes taco juice from her grin. My low was spilling my yogurt at lunch, so I looked like I had barf on my shirt all day.

My low was that a contract fell through for some clients Ive been working with for months. My high is having dinner with my girls. Typical Dad always says something mushy.

Its almost my turn. If I dont come up with something quick, my parents will start grilling me. Not about homework or choreslike normal parentsbut about the world.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be? Mom will ask.

Name the top five places on your bucket list, Dad will follow.

Our answers are always the sameFrench Polynesia for Riley and London for me.

Then well turn it around and ask them, which is what they really want us to do. Because they always have a long list of places to rattle off. Sometimes theyll name some random country weve never heard of. Asking where is that? is a huge mistake. It always results in a one-way ticket to the Wall of Dreams for a geography lesson.

I glance at the microwave clock again. 6:33 p.m. In less than thirty minutes, Ill have my High-Low answer. The new girls basketball team roster for Liberty Park Middle School will be posted on the gym door at seven oclock. I might throw up.