New Found Land: Lewis & Clark's Voyage of Discovery [Hardcover]

Allan Wolf (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 19, 2004 | Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Follow Lewis and Clark and their crew on a perilous trek through the
uncharted West in this extraordinary debut novel.

I mean to tell you this story the only way I know how. That is to say, I will tell it like a river. It may meander here and there, but in the end it will always find its way to the sea.

Two hundred years ago, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark launched their wooden boats up the Missouri River in search of the illusory Northwest Passage, a journey that would capture the American imagination and help forge a young nation's identity. Now, in a riveting debut novel, Allan Wolf tells the story of this extraordinary voyage through the eyes of not only the famed pair but also several members of their self-named Corps of Discovery. Here, in powerful, lyrical language, is a medley of voices from a surprisingly diverse crew — from the one-eyed French Indian fiddler who pilots the boats to Clark's African American slave; from the young Shoshone woman who has a baby en route to Lewis's Newfoundland dog, a "seer" whose narrative resonates long after the book is closed.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up–This amazing work presents the exciting adventure of the Lewis and Clark expedition through the eyes of its participants. Using poetic form, Wolf tells the story in alternating narratives by a dozen of the human participants and Seaman, the Newfoundland dog belonging to Meriwether Lewis. The dog, called Oolum here, supposedly his private name, serves as the omniscient narrator. His prose entries provide a running description of and commentary on the events. Factual details abound, reflecting the intense research on which the book is based. But Wolf has managed to give intriguing, well-developed personalities to the Corps of Discovery members who tell this tale. The disparate group included educated men, adventurers, traders, a captured teenage Shoshone girl, and a slave belonging to William Clark. Talk of freedom from different points of view is enlightening as is Clark's rationalization for slavery. The dramatic effects of the expedition on the participants come to life as they share their experiences and thoughts with readers. The mind-boggling reality of what these people went through to explore and expand this nation instills appreciation for their sacrifices and accomplishments. In notes following the novel, Wolf describes the limited literary liberties he took with some of the details. For example, Thomas Jefferson's closing narrative includes reminiscences of a fictitious boyhood relationship with Lewis. This is an extraordinary, engrossing book that would appeal most to serious readers, but it should definitely be added to any collection.–Renee Steinberg, formerly at Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

This book, which is based on extensive historical research, uses nontraditional narrative formats to successfully re-create the period and convey the excitement and anxiety of venturing into the unknown. It also puts distinct human faces on famous and not-so-famous names. Wolf's primary narrator is Lewis' dog, Seaman. Thirteen other voices, ranging from President Jefferson and Captains Lewis and Clark to drinker Hugh Hall, and York, Clark's slave, relate the events from their perspectives. These diverse voices reveal in free verse the class structure of the expedition, as well as historical attitudes toward African Americans, Indians, and women. A novel that willl enrich American History studies and stimulate classroom discussion. Linda Perkins
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 502 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick; 1 edition (August 19, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763621137
• ISBN-13: 978-0763621131
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 1.6 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,121,799 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Allan Wolf is an award-winning children's and young adult novelist, poet, educator, and performer. His novels told in verse include New Found Land: Lewis and Clark's Voyage of Discovery and Zane's Trace. His poetry books include Immersed in Verse, The Blood-Hungry Spleen and Other Poems about our Parts, and More Than Friends: Poems From Him and Her. Allan is former Educational Director for Poetry Alive!, a national touring company that presents theatrical poetry shows for all ages. He lives in Asheville with his wife and three children and can recite hundreds of poems from memory.
http://www.allanwolf.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This geezer likes it., April 20, 2005

By 

Trapper (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: New Found Land: Lewis & Clark's Voyage of Discovery (Hardcover)

"New Found Land," by Alan Wolf. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0763621137/qid=1114056055/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-6991206... This book, billed as suitable for grade seven and up, caught the eye of a geezer. It's a novel written in first person poetic form in fourteen different voices, all principals of the Lewis and Clark expedition, The Corps of Discovery.

The title voice is none other than that of Seaman, Meriwether Lewis's big black bear of a Newfoundland dog--known to himself as Oolum. New Found Land is a story of a land at the dawn of its transition to a new existence, one that we know today as the western half of the United States of America. Other voices are Lewis himself, Clark, Thomas Jefferson, George Shannon, the Fields brothers, others of the expedition, and of course, Sacajawea.

Of course, it wasn't really New FOUND Land. It had been found some 10,000 years earlier, before the pyramids were built. But to the members of the expedition, and to many of us who love their story, it WAS NEW Found Land.

This work is a blend of the actual words from the Journals, and what might have been said by the characters as they made their daily discoveries. I like its poetic style, unique among all the books I've read about this adventure.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read, January 4, 2006

By 

A. Powell "illinikids" (Edwardsville, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: New Found Land: Lewis & Clark's Voyage of Discovery (Hardcover)

I loved this book - it is great historical fiction. The story-telling is great, and you pick up a lot of facts and information about the actual Lewis & Clark trip (without it getting boring or tedious). The style of writing takes a little getting used to - it is written in a poetic style, and each "chapter" is written in first-person by one of 14 different people. But, you get used to it. A plus for me was that each "chapter" is only 1-3 pages in length - so I could read small, complete pieces when I could find time. The author does include actual passages from journals kept on the trip, and mixes these passages well with both fictional and non-fictional accounts of the trip. I particularly enjoyed following the stories of Reubin and Joseph Fields.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great look at history, February 28, 2005

By 

DeeGee (Boise Id) - See all my reviews

This review is from: New Found Land: Lewis & Clark's Voyage of Discovery (Hardcover)

I love poetry and history and found this book to be an intriguing blend of both. I've read many books on Lewis and Clark's voyage - even the best have a tendancy to become tedious with the (mis)spelling and durge of details. Mr. Wolf tells the story of the trip from the aspect of many different characters - including Seaman, the Newfoundland dog. This would be an excellent book for teachers to read aloud to their students - it's also a great introduction to poetry - don't be put off if you're not a poetry fan - you will like it!