American fantasy is the genre Kirby intended this to be and I like it! At first, I was thinking that this would make a good read aloud for a fifth grade class, but now I am not sure. The story is about a secret society of philosophers in early 18th century America who fly an airship from Pennsylvania to west of the Missouri, Mississippi, and Ohio Rivers to find a lost Welsh kingdom, a group that settled in that territory four hundred years ago. Kirby pulls elements and figures from history, such as: Major George Washington (gearing up for the French and Indian War), Benjamin Franklin (and his experiments with electricity), and a father-son nature exploring and drawing team. The flying ship transports the "philosophers" into the wilderness, but the trip is fraught with dangers as well as blessed with discoveries. A bear-wolf creature stalks the crew, a half-Welsh, half-Native American joins the ship and prejudice is discovered among the crew, one of the passengers is a traitor and spy, the two adolescents on the ship assert their independence from their parents in a very realistic way, and the portrayal of the Natives is fair and satisfying (they are not overly eager to help the travelers and they demonstrate their loyalty to the French). This is an enjoyable read, but I believe it will be most suitable for children who love history as it is a blending of real events with fantasy. Best for grades 5-7. Father and son make journey to find Welsh people. Nice to have a father and son story for change. Father is part of secret society of philosophers. It's in the 1800s when North America is being settled by English and French. Fathers prejudiced towards Indians. Son learns to make his own choices. A little bit of legend thrown in and issues with trust. A good adventure although bit lengthy. (350 pages, To me a book is long when includes extra things that don't move the story along or things to make you invest further in the characters) Has some nice science throughout and some history at the end.
What do You think about The Lost Kingdom - Audio (2013)?
Maybe 3.5, still thinking about this one. Can't quite decide if I really like it.
—jeny
Historical? Magical? Definitely high adventure!
—bobby
