The Actual & Truthful Adventures of Becky Thatcher

After her brother died, Becky's father, Judge Thatcher, decided that the family needed a new start in St. Petersburg, Missouri. The problem is, Becky's mother is still holding on to her grief, leaving Becky mostly to her own devices -- and Becky's response is to become to most audacious little scamp ever to roam the banks of the mighty Mississippi! From throwing spitballs to sneaking into a witch's house to tracking down wanted criminals, there's nothing Becky will stop at -- even when it puts her in considerable danger.

I think young readers will have a lot of fun with this book, and those who have read Tom Sawyer will appreciate the clever way that this book comes together, as Becky's exploits amuse and inspire a stranded riverboat show more captain by the name of Sam Clemens. For myself, I'm afraid I found Becky hard to like, as her hijinks often seemed a little hard-hearted. There's no denying the humor of the book, nor that it touches on deeper issues of grief and family, so I would recommend this book, especially to readers who don't mind reading about a character who is not always likable. show less

Cute book, excellent idea, well executed.

"If I stay out any longer, people might start thinking I fell in the river and drowned. Miss Ada would be awful sad at my funeral. Come to think of it, not too many people get to see their own funeral. Might be worth an extra couple of days."

His eyes twinkle. "Isn't that an idea? Visiting your own funeral." He took out his notebook and jotted something down.

An imagined precursor to [b:The Adventures of Tom Sawyer|24583|The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn, #1)|Mark Twain|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1404811979s/24583.jpg|41326609] and [b:The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn|2956|The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn, #2)|Mark show more Twain|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1405973850s/2956.jpg|1835605], [b:The Actual & Truthful Adventures of Becky Thatcher|18273285|The Actual & Truthful Adventures of Becky Thatcher|Jessica Lawson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1375295239s/18273285.jpg|25738994] includes a young Samuel Clemens, taking notes and thinking he may just become a writer someday. Becky Thatcher provides his inspiration in a mostly predictable but still clever and entertaining series of adventures. Perhaps you need to be a fan of Mark Twain to particularly enjoy this story, but I am, and so I did. Thank you to Jessica Lawson, for reminding me. show less