My Travels with Capts. Lewis and Clark, by George Shannon [Paperback]

Kate McMullan (Author), Adrienne Yorinks (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

MY TRAVELS WITH CAPTS. LEWIS AND CLARK BY GEORGE SMITH Kate McMullan and Adrienne Yorinks "Delectable period details, surprising facts, and classic moments keep the story lively. An inspiring journey." - Publishers Weekly (starred review) This fictional journal tells the true story of sixteen-year-old George Shannon's adventures with the Lewis and Clark Expedition, through perilous rock-infested waters, bear attacks, Indian war parties, and a host of other thrilling events. Accompanied by Adrienne Yorinks's illustrations drawn as if sewn by George himself, this is an adventure not to be missed.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8–The true story of the Lewis and Clark expedition and the Corps of Discovery is as exciting as any adventure story. McMullan has created a highly detailed account of this journey using her ancestor George Shannon, an actual teenage member of the Corps of Discovery, as the author of this fictional journal. She has taken some liberties with the truth, placing her fictional Shannon in a more adventurous part of the expedition than he was in real life. The book follows the Corps as it goes up the Missouri River and west to the Pacific, with the teen describing the hardships they faced and the adventures they had. Some sketches and maps clarify the prose. The journal has an authentic tone using sentence structure and vocabulary that could have been written at that time, but Shannon's personality doesn't come through. As fiction this is disappointing, leaving readers wanting richer character development. The imaginary journal McMullan has created here is replete with historical information, but is basically a nonfiction book with some elements of fiction attached. Some factual accounts, such as Rhoda Blumberg's The Incredible Journey of Lewis & Clark (HarperTrophy, 1995) and Elizabeth Cody Kimmel's As Far as the Eye Can Reach (Random, 2003) are more engrossing.–Renee Steinberg, formerly at Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

This book, which is based on extensive historical research, uses nontraditional narrative format to successfully re-create the period and convey the excitement and anxiety of venturing into the unknown. It also puts distinct human face on famous and not-so-famous names. McMullan was inspired by family stories about ancestor George Shannon, a teenager who accompanied Lewis and Clark. Working with very few facts, she has written the journal Shannon might have recorded. The short entries introduce Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, Sacagawea and other Native Americans, trappers, soldiers, and river guides as the expedition unfolds. The entries also reveal the boy's journey from runaway tenderfoot to rugged frontiersman. Sketches and maps illustrate a few entries. Linda Perkins
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (January 3, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060081015
• ISBN-13: 978-0060081010
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 4.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,625,584 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kate McMullan is the author of many books for young readers, including I Stink!, winner of a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor; I'm Mighty; and Meg's Prairie Diary, a historical fiction trilogy set in St. Louis and Kansas in 1856. She has been fascinated by the Lewis and Clark Expedition since the age of ten, when an uncle told her about an ancestor who had gone on the expedition. That ancestor was sixteen-year-old George Shannon. Ms. McMullan lives in New York City and Sag Harbor, New York, with her husband and collaborator, noted illustrator Jim McMullan, their daughter, two cats, and a dog.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Exciting Historical Journey, March 16, 2006

By 

Joe "Book Maven" (Madison, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: My Travels with Capts. Lewis and Clark, by George Shannon (Hardcover)

This was an extremely well-written and (clearly) well-researched book. It explores a truly heroic exploration of then-unknown regions of our nation, populated with peoples yet unknown to us, an interesting parallel to the explorations of Africa, which would follow in the next century. Several books have been written on the subject, but this one is unique in that it shows the experience from the eyes of a young person who was an actual member of the expedition. The fact that it is written by descendant of that person makes book all the more personal.

Although it's been a half-century since I was 13, I think (as one who recently enjoyed "Holes," an adventure of a slightly different type, and whose favorite book at 13 was "Robinson Crusoe,") that this book will appeal to the 13 year-old age group who are looking for real-life adventure.

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for history buffs, September 7, 2004

By 

A Customer (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Travels with Capts. Lewis and Clark, by George Shannon (Hardcover)

Kate McMullan's MY TRAVELS WITH CAPTS. LEWIS AND CLARK, BY GEORGE SHANNON is an excellent piece of historical fiction. McMullan accurately relates the happenings of the Lewis and Clark expedition through the unique format of journal entries.

McMullan's protagonist is George Shannon, a young boy who joins the expedition after running away from his mean uncle, where he was apprenticed. George has no real experience either at sea or in hunting, but he has a spark that captures Captain Lewis. It also helps George that Seaman, the huge dog belonging to Lewis, takes an instant liking to George. The journal entries detail how Lewis and Clark picked their men to accompany them on their expedition, their meetings with different Native American tribes, the trials that they faced on the expedition, and how they handled life on the boat.

George Shannon is an honest narrator. When he must witness other expedition members being tried for mistakes they made, he expresses how difficult it is for him to see humans being whipped, even though he knows they committed wrongdoings. George has an engaging way of telling stories in his journal entries, and readers will appreciate the fact that he is saving the journal to give to his mother one day. This shows a strong sense of family, even though they are miles apart physically.

History buffs will especially enjoy this book, as the details of the expedition are minute and thorough. An added historical bonus is that George Shannon was a real person who followed Lewis and Clark on their expedition, and was in fact an ancestor of the author, Kate McMullan. But fans of any genre will enjoy this work. The journal entries are short and engaging, and readers will feel a sense of accomplishment as they tear through the pages of this fascinating book.

--- Reviewed by Melissa A. Palmer ([e-mail])