Young Saint Louis.com is planning monthly features on the historic Lewis&Clark Corps of Discovery. This month, we focus on reviews of books written especially for kids.

The November Lewis&Clark review below is of Charles Bohner's book, "Bold Journey." This preview also will point out other books reviewed in past YSL.com editions.

For instance, in October, 2003, a review told of the trip through the eyes of Sacajawea. An Indian, she was the only woman on the Lewis&Clark exploration. To re-read the review of Scott O'Dell's book, "Streams to the River; Streams to the Sea", click here.

Back in February, 2001, author Roland Smith's book, "The Captain's Dog," was reviewed. This told about the Lewis&Clark trip through the eyes of Seaman, Lewis' Newfoundland dog. For that review, click here.

Then, way back in October, 2000, YSL.com reviewed the book, "Lewis and Clark for Kids." That book was a serious description of written material and maps used by the explorers. The book also included 21 hands-on projects that kids could do.

That book is a good resource book for kids in middle grades who are studying Lewis and Clark. There also are good ideas for parents and teachers in the book. To read that review, click here.

Remember, YSL.com book reviews are linked directly to the Amazon.com website. That way, you and your parents can order any of the books directly from the YSL.com website. All books reviewed on this website have similar links to Amazon.com to make it easy to buy the books you like.

An eighteen-year-old goes west
with Lewis and Clark

Hugh McNeal was a new recruit in the army. He spent most of his young life helping his father build riverboats. His father didn't like Hugh's disinterest in the work, so he told Hugh to join the army. In his first six months after enlisting, all Hugh experienced was boredom and homesickness. When an army captain shows up on the river near where Hugh was stationed, Hugh can't resist telling him how poorly his keelboat is constructed. It turns out that the captain was Merewether Lewis. Lewis needed men with boating experience to go on an expedition with him to reach the Pacific Ocean.

Hugh joins the group along with another soldier from his post. They are promised land of their own as a reward if they make the trip and come back alive. Soon Captain Lewis is joined by his friend Captain William Clark. The two are quite different from each other. Lewis is slim, serious, and moody. Clark is a larger man, a red head with a sense of humor and boundless energy. Hugh had started off on the wrong foot by criticizing the keelboat that Captain Lewis had designed, so he found that Lewis was especially hard on him.

Young as he was, though, because of his ability to make repairs to the boats and keep them sailable on the river, Private Hugh McNeal became a valued member of the Corps of Discovery. Early in the expedition, Hugh wondered often whether he had made the right decision. The work was much harder than he had expected. The stories of how cruel the Indians could be to their captives was very frightening. But Hugh found that the men were formed into a well-disciplined group of soldiers. Under the leadership of the two Captains, Hugh believed the band of soldiers could survive any hardship they met. They started the long journey up the Missouri River after spending the winter near St. Louis.

Hugh McNeal was a real live person. Records show that he was one of the members of the Corps of Discovery. Charles Bohner, author of "Bold Journey," fills in details of Hugh's part in the Lewis and Clark expedition and what happened to him after the great adventure. Even though most of it is fiction, it helps bring history to life for us readers.

A twelve-year -old hustler discovers
there's money in pet funerals

Ernie Castellano was always trying to make a fast buck. In fact, he thought of himself as a businessman in a kid's body. His latest enterprise - selling cheeseburgers in the school cafeteria at lunchtime - landed him in trouble with the school principal. Ernie's dad had to leave work and come to school. He was so mad, he told Ernie one more get-rich scheme and he would be totally grounded.

When Ernie hit on the idea of conducting funerals for kids' pets, he had to be sure his dad didn't find out about it. Keeping his business a secret from his dad was difficult. After all the business had to be advertised. Ernie charged fifteen dollars for a funeral. For that Ernie provided decorated coffins, a funeral procession, a short sermon over the deceased, and a sympathetic mourner who could cry on cue. He'd even turned a vacant lot into a pet cemetery. Even Ernie was amazed at the amount of cell phone calls he received asking for his funeral services.

Funerals this elaborate required several employees beyond just Ernie. He lined up a kid to make an individually designed and decorated coffin for each deceased pet. Another employee dug the grave. A girl called "Swimming Pool" was the one who cried on demand. Ernie was now an employer. As with many successful businesses, the employees thought they deserved bigger earnings than what they had been promised to begin with. Ernie saw his profits being threatened. Things got so bad, Swimming Pool went on strike.

You can tell by the cartoon-like figures on the cover of the book that "The Beloved Dearly" is meant to keep its readers laughing. Still, silly as the plot might seem, there are some serious moments as the story unfolds.

Two eleven-year-old best friends experience
their last summer together in the neighborhood

Margaret wasn't sure which was tougher - waiting for her friend to move away or experiencing the loneliness after she had gone. Knowing that her best friend, Maizon, was going away to a private school in the fall made the summer difficult for Margaret. Margaret was the quiet and more reflective one of the pair. Maizon was more brash and outgoing. Both were smart, but Maizon was the smartest one in their school.

When Maizon was given a scholarship to go to an exclusive private girl's school, Margaret didn't know how she could deal with losing her lifelong friend. The summer had been an especially hard one for Margaret because she lost her father to a heart attack. Her mother not only had to deal with her own grief but had to go to work in order to support the two of them.

The girls had promised to write each other regularly. Margaret was shocked when weeks went by and none of her letters to Maizon was answered. Margaret had to go on and make her own way now at school, because Maizon was no longer there to take the lead. After a surprising phone call from Maizon, both of the girl's lives take a dramatic turn.

"Last Summer with Maizon" is a short and quickly read paperback. It's one that you will go back and think about a lot after you have read it.

A story of a young girl, wild mustangs,
and dangerous cougars

Samantha Forster, or Sam for short, lived near the Calico Mountains in the State of Nevada. She was a good rider and knew a lot about horses. Her best friend was Jen Ely. Jen's mother was one of Sam's teachers at the middle school. Jens' father worked for Linc Slocum, a wealthy businessman who was buying out ranchers in the area. Jen had several brothers, and Jake, the youngest, was noted for being a good animal tracker. Although she wouldn't admit it, Sam had a crush on Jake. She respected his knowledge of horses and his concern for other kinds of wild animals.

When the book begins, the characters are just finding out that a cougar was roaming around the local ranches. There was concern that the cougar, or mountain lion, might pose a danger to horses and even to people in the area. Linc Slocum wanted to get a license to shoot the cougar and mount its hide on the wall of his stable. Sam and Jake are upset at Slocum's eagerness to kill the animal. They wanted to see the cougar driven up higher in the mountains where it would not be a threat to the ranchers.

As the story unfolds, Sam becomes involved in various adventures with the wild horses. And, as you might expect, she meets up with the cougar and her nearly grown cub on several occasions. And of course, Sam manages to get Jake involved in these encounters, some of which are life threatening.

"Phantom Stallion, the Challenger" by Terri Farley is the sixth volume in the "Phantom Stallion" series. If you like it, you may want to read some of the others. Perhaps, if you really like horse stories, you might want to start with volume 1, "The Wild One," and read them all in sequence.