Growing up in the American Colonies, Billy wants to be a botanist just like his father. When Benjamin Franklin sends them on an expedition to the Ohio frontier, Billy is excited to be included with his father in the team of scientists and philosophers. Their mission is to find a lost Welsh colony that may have traveled to the Americas centuries before. With war with the French on the horizon, they will need allies on the frontier.

I loved this adventure! They travel on a really cool aeroship that is actually modeled on a real gismo that was invented around this time. The plot moves very quickly with spies and a stowaway and storms and mad scientists. There is this massive bear that is tracking them through the wilderness. We also get a little taste of the mystical as they tell legends about the Fountain of Youth and the mysterious Welsh colony that disappeared.

The setting is so cool in the American colonies when the British were gearing up for war with the French. We even meet George Washington when he was just a young captain in the army. At the back of the book there is a note from the author that explains that many of the characters, places, and inventions were actually taken from history. There really was a boy named Billy and his father who were both botanists!

The expedition has a Native American guide named Andrew, but Billy's father warns him never to trust any Indians. Billy is confused, and wonders why his father has such a strong prejudice against all the native tribes. As Billy gets to know Andrew, he is more and more ashamed of his father's blatant racism. Billy knows his father is a good man, but he holds a lot of anger and hurt in his heart.

Billy and his father have a lot of incredible character development! I absolutely loved this storyline that dealt with some serious issues in a gracious and caring way. The themes of family connectedness and independence were beautifully explored. We are connected to our families, but we are also separate from them; just as we are connected to everyone in the world, but also separate. We are all different. We are all the same.

I'm amazed at how many deep themes this book explores, but the adventure is fun and light-hearted as well. There is a character who constantly calls for peace, but when war is on the doorstep, they dive into the fight and a bloodlust is unleashed inside them. Then they have to reexamine all their beliefs about peace and they realize how precious it is.
There is a character who is obsessed with their scientific research and they don't care who they put in danger as long as they can keep doing research.
The stowaway puts everyone at risk and then blames themselves over and over, wallowing in guilt for their mistakes. They have to learn to forgive themselves.
We get themes of peace and war, family love, forgiveness, tolerance, and our own mortality.

I enjoyed this book so much! A rollicking adventure!