Earthmerlin Posted October 4, 2017 Share Posted October 4, 2017 We listened several times to a Jim Weiss CD of Tom Sawyer & quite enjoyed it. Now my 8 year old would like another Mark Twain story. I'm on the fence about Huck Finn. Any other titles that'll appeal & be age-approrpiate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalsummer Posted October 4, 2017 Share Posted October 4, 2017 Huck Finn is his best work and truly a marvel. I didn't read it until age 33. I think A Connecticut Yankee is kid-friendly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted October 4, 2017 Share Posted October 4, 2017 (edited) I think A Connecticut Yankee is kid-friendly. That's what I was going to suggest, also. I think Royal Fireworks Press sells an annotated version of it, don't they? We read his biography of Joan of Arc, but that's probably not for an 8 year-old. :tongue_smilie: The Innocents Abroad is for adults - I don't even think I would read that one (it looked strange). Roughing It - looks like it's more for adults. That and it's like 500 pages. I've seen The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine on Amazon- isn't that a kids book? We haven't read it. It's listed as a kids' book on Amazon. He has a bunch of short stories. It would take some research, but I wonder if some of those would be ok. There's a Mark Twain For Kids: His Life and Times, 21 Activities - it's on Amazon. More of a biography of him + projects. Edited to add: On Amazon, I saw an abridged version of Huckleberry Finn for children. It's only 64 pages long. I think it's a Dover Children's Classic edition (you might have to check if you're interested in that one). Edited October 4, 2017 by Evanthe 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted October 4, 2017 Share Posted October 4, 2017 (edited) Huck Finn is so different from Tom Sawyer in tone and purpose, and such a great one to chew on as an adult, that I'd wait. On the surface, it starts off as though it will be about boy adventures (like Tom Sawyer), but it is more serious and has some very dark events, and is not as likely to click with an elementary-aged student who is expecting laugh-out-loud antics. Two other Twain works that are lighter like Tom Sawyer: - The Prince and the Pauper - A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court Other books about historical characters and humorous misadventures: girl protagonists - Anne of Green Gables (Montgomery) - The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate (Kelly) - Understood Betsy (Fisher) - Caddie Woodlawn (Brink) - Our Only May Amelia (Holm) - Emily's Runaway Imagination (Cleary) boy protagonists - Homer Price (McCloskey) - Henry Reed (Robertson) - Henry Huggins (Cleary) - Summer of the Monkeys (Rawls) - By the Great Horn Spoon (Fleischman) - The Whipping Boy (Fleischman) - Rascal (North) - Incident at Hawk's Hill (Eckert) And for magic adventure humorous misadventures you just can't beat Edward Eager's series: Half Magic Magic by the Lake Knight's Castle The Time Garden Seven Day Magic Edited October 4, 2017 by Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalsummer Posted October 4, 2017 Share Posted October 4, 2017 I agree that Huck Finn is a book for adults - but I read it first as an adult, so I might be biased :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaredluvsjoanie Posted October 4, 2017 Share Posted October 4, 2017 During my 4th grade year, I read The Prince and the Pauper three times because it was so engaging. I also read all of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series and anything I could find by Meindert DeJong and Marguerite de Angeli. In particular, I loved The Wheel on the School (DeJong), Far Out the Long Canal (DeJong), The Door in the Wall (de Angeli), and The Black Fox of Lorne (de Angeli). That was my favorite year! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junie Posted October 4, 2017 Share Posted October 4, 2017 My favorite Twain book is Pudd'nhead Wilson, but I wouldn't recommend it for that young. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted October 4, 2017 Share Posted October 4, 2017 (edited) I wouldn't do connecticut yankee that young. We started it last year and my then 11 & 9 year olds struggled. Heck, I struggled! It's great, but I had to explain as we went a lot and the language wasn't easy. If Mr. Weiss read it for me it might be easier lol. Edited October 4, 2017 by LMD 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted October 5, 2017 Share Posted October 5, 2017 Yeah, even his Tom Sawyer book is written at a higher level than most kids are used to reading at. We're working on the Progeny Press study guide that goes with the book and even I don't know what some of the vocab words mean. And I forgot about the Prince and the Pauper! That might be next for the 12 year-old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthmerlin Posted October 5, 2017 Author Share Posted October 5, 2017 Thanks, folks! Yes, we'll wait on Huck Finn. I was thinking of The Prince & The Pauper--glad to hear it's a 'go' for this age (it's been awhile since I've read it). We have a book of quotes by Twain & enjoy pondering them over meals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
City Mouse Posted October 6, 2017 Share Posted October 6, 2017 My DS is reading Huck Finn right now in his English 10 class. I agree that the themes are more adult, and the frequent use of the "N" word would cause a need for much discussion that I would not want to have with an 8 yr old if it could be avoided. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrssaturn Posted October 7, 2017 Share Posted October 7, 2017 "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xahm Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 If you are looking for Mark Twain books, there's a chance you'll come across more Tom Sawyer books. I don't recommend them. They have titles like Tom Sawyer, Detective and Tom Sawyer Abroad and were written very obviously to cash in on the popularity of his character when he was strapped for cash. Prince and the Pauper is probably best for that age. Confederate Yankee is darker in tone than you might expect. Puddenhead Wilson is great for late middle school and up. It's very short but covers the same themes as Huck Finn, making it great for capable but reluctant readers. You may try reading though his essays and short stories. He has a lot of great ones, but you'll have to decide what's appropriate for your family. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happybeachbum Posted October 26, 2017 Share Posted October 26, 2017 (edited) Huck Finn is so different from Tom Sawyer in tone and purpose, and such a great one to chew on as an adult, that I'd wait. On the surface, it starts off as though it will be about boy adventures (like Tom Sawyer), but it is more serious and has some very dark events, and is not as likely to click with an elementary-aged student who is expecting laugh-out-loud antics. Two other Twain works that are lighter like Tom Sawyer: - The Prince and the Pauper - A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court Other books about historical characters and humorous misadventures: girl protagonists - Anne of Green Gables (Montgomery) - The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate (Kelly) - Understood Betsy (Fisher) - Caddie Woodlawn (Brink) - Our Only May Amelia (Holm) - Emily's Runaway Imagination (Cleary) boy protagonists - Homer Price (McCloskey) - Henry Reed (Robertson) - Henry Huggins (Cleary) - Summer of the Monkeys (Rawls) - By the Great Horn Spoon (Fleischman) - The Whipping Boy (Fleischman) - Rascal (North) - Incident at Hawk's Hill (Eckert) And for magic adventure humorous misadventures you just can't beat Edward Eager's series: Half Magic Magic by the Lake Knight's Castle The Time Garden Seven Day Magic Nothing wrong with that Huck Finn was geared towards adults. Twain was shocked it was categorized as a children's novel. Jules Verne's books had the same issue. I think this is cultural in the U. S. The protagonist of Huck Finn was a kid so it's a kids book or Jules Verne's books are sci-fi, adventure etc. that's the domain of children. I have to tell people you might want to read a particular book before you have your kids read it. Don't judge a book by its characters, genre or settings. Edited October 26, 2017 by happybeachbum 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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