joannqn Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 I only read one of these books in high school. I don't remember, but I think it was Huck Finn. Anyway, do these books need to be read together? Does one need to be read before the other? Would reading Tom Sawyer without Huck Finn be confusing, for example? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kokotg Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 They don't need to be read together. IMO, Tom Sawyer is more of a kids' book, whereas Huck Finn really shouldn't be read until high school...the later in high school the better, in fact, to get the most out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 I think it's useful to have read Tom Sawyer before Huck Finn for the purpose of compare and contrast. I agree that Huck Finn is better for older kids, teens and older because it contains a lot of racial issues, including lots of use of the "n word." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 Tom Sawyer definitely comes first, and no, you don't have to read Huck Finn to "get" Tom Sawyer. On the other hand, I wouldn't necessarily say that one needs to wait till high school for Huck Finn. There's a lot to discuss, and a lot would go over younger kids' heads, but I think there's still plenty for a younger student to enjoy and to contemplate. (I wouldn't just hand it to a younger student though -- I'd want to read and discuss along with them.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted August 25, 2009 Author Share Posted August 25, 2009 Well, that's a helpful piece of information. Thanks! I was wondering if I could read Tom Sawyer to my kids. I'm sure my daughter would understand a good deal of it and my son would probably enjoy it but miss more of the meanings and such. Anyway, a local community theater is doing "Tom Sawyer the Musical" this season. They have let the public watch their final dress rehearsals for free. I love theater, and the kids enjoy most of the plays we see. This one looked like it might be fun. I try to pair the play with the corresponding book or movie when I can, and was trying to decide if we could do this book with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 ...because it contains a lot of racial issues, including lots of use of the "n word." That's certainly *touched* on (including the language) in Tom Sawyer as well. Certainly a way to introduce some of those ideas before delving more deeply in Huck Finn... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtroad Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 DS is 10 and in 5th grade... Tom Sawyer is on his reading list for this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 We read Tom Sawyer in the spring. We're reading Huck Finn right now. The kids are enjoying the action parts of the book but are bored by the descriptions. My little one asks lots of questions to clarify, which shows he's paying attention. I've asked them a couple times if they'd like to discontinue reading this one I move on but they say they are enjoying it. I think some of the funnier parts are going over their heads and I stop to explain what's going on (the language is a barrier) but they are having fun with it. As for the "n" word, we've discussed it in length and they understand never to repeat it and why it was appropriate in this book, not NOW. FWIW, I enjoyed reading this book around 5th grade and figured it would be a great read aloud. If I'd had a more accurate memory, I would have waited. But they adored Tom Sawyer. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 That's certainly *touched* on (including the language) in Tom Sawyer as well. Certainly a way to introduce some of those ideas before delving more deeply in Huck Finn... Absolutely true. It's a really good example of inclusion/exclusion and how people are treated. Even at the end of Huck Finn you still see Tom treating the whole situation as a game. Tom Sawyer is all about boyhood, Huck Finn is more about growing up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 (edited) We listened to Tom Sawyer I think year before last - that would've made my older two 9 and the younger 7 and they all thoroughly enjoyed it. I chose a audio book because I couldn't possibly do justice to those accents the way the narrator did, and then I could also have the discussion about the book's use of the "n" word without having to utter it myself. Tom Sawyer is enjoyable for kids because Tom is so thoroughly a boy - very funny! (kept thinking that in today's world he'd be loaded up on Ritalin...:() I'd also agree Huck Finn in high school - I personally read it at 11 with no problem, and enjoyed it as a nice story, but I never had a problem reading dialect in dialog like some kids, and also I don't think I understood (ie paid attention to) any of the deeper themes till I read it again and discussed it in I think 10th grade English. Edited August 25, 2009 by matroyshka Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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