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idgey's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
hamckeon's review against another edition
3.0
I would probably give it a 3.5. I'm torn because I love the idea behind the book, but I have doubts about how accessible it really is to most middle grade students.
elinacre's review against another edition
4.0
jessica lawson perfectly captures the voice of a twangy young tomboy. the bets with the boys, the scabs (!), the hatred of dresses, and the sadness of losing her brother... loved it!
wombat_88's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
we_are_all_mad_here26's review against another edition
4.0
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 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.
"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 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.
yapha's review against another edition
4.0
What if Tom Sawyer was actually a goody-two-shoes and tattletale, while Becky Thatcher was really the one who snuck out at night and had adventures. This topsy turvy version of St. Petersburg, Missouri, has Samuel Clemens living there for a bit while waiting for his steamboat to be fixed. It is here that he learns the stories that he will later write, but most of the characters are not who they end up being. It is a very good adventure, but may make some students confused if they read this before the original. Becky is as feisty a heroine as anyone could want, though, and many girls will much prefer her in this version. Recommended for grades 4-7.
tami_provencher's review against another edition
4.0
I liked a lot of moments in The Actual & Truthful Adventures of Becky Thatcher. The author's decision to portray Becky Thatcher (the classic character from Mark Twain's Adventures of Tom Sawyer) as a bold and daring spitfire of a young girl in 19th Century America is perfect. Becky's character is well-defined and three-dimensional in thought and feeling.
In Twain's classic she is a secondary figure--primarily a nuisance--to Tom Sawyer. She truly comes into her own in Lawson's re-imagining. Before the arrival of Becky and her family into town, her brother has died from illness and the way the author was able to weave in the struggle of Becky's mother with her grief--and Becky's frustration with it is skillfully done. it is this element in particular that allows the book to resonate to a greater degree with contemporary young readers than its predecessors.
I enjoyed the way the author brought Sam Clemens (Mark Twain, himself) into the story as a character--even if it became forced in a couple of places. I was also delighted by the role of the Widow Douglas, which enhanced the scope of her character from the original Twain story. I do, however, have a BIG issue with the way Lawson has reversed the characters of Tom Sawyer and his cousin (brother in this version) Sid. It was unnecessary given that she kept two male characters with the exact same personality traits as in the original Tom Sawyer. The switching of Sid and Tom smacks of a disdain for Twain's work not found in the rest of Becky Thatcher. I am not opposed to reimagining a classic character in a new way as long as it serves the new story well. In this case it does not. I am disappointed that new readers may be introduced to Sid and Tom in this light--especially since Lawson thought enough of Twain's characters to change nothing but their names.
My own disappointment aside, young readers with no exposure to Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer will not see a discrepancy in story where Sid and Tom are concerned. Particularly young female readers will love The Actual & Truthful Adventures of Becky Thatcher. This might be a fun read-aloud in conjunction with a version of Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer both for the benefit of two good stories and the opportunity to discuss the differences in approach to character.
If The Actual & Truthful Adventures of Becky Thatcher sounds interesting, or you have already read & enjoyed it you may also like Lucy Maud Montgomery's classic Anne of Green Gables, Audrey Couloumbis' The Misadventures of Maude March and The Case of the Deadly Desperados (first in the P.K. Pinkerton series) by Caroline Lawrence (which also includes Samuel Clemens as an engaging character).
In Twain's classic she is a secondary figure--primarily a nuisance--to Tom Sawyer. She truly comes into her own in Lawson's re-imagining. Before the arrival of Becky and her family into town, her brother has died from illness and the way the author was able to weave in the struggle of Becky's mother with her grief--and Becky's frustration with it is skillfully done. it is this element in particular that allows the book to resonate to a greater degree with contemporary young readers than its predecessors.
I enjoyed the way the author brought Sam Clemens (Mark Twain, himself) into the story as a character--even if it became forced in a couple of places. I was also delighted by the role of the Widow Douglas, which enhanced the scope of her character from the original Twain story. I do, however, have a BIG issue with the way Lawson has reversed the characters of Tom Sawyer and his cousin (brother in this version) Sid. It was unnecessary given that she kept two male characters with the exact same personality traits as in the original Tom Sawyer. The switching of Sid and Tom smacks of a disdain for Twain's work not found in the rest of Becky Thatcher. I am not opposed to reimagining a classic character in a new way as long as it serves the new story well. In this case it does not. I am disappointed that new readers may be introduced to Sid and Tom in this light--especially since Lawson thought enough of Twain's characters to change nothing but their names.
My own disappointment aside, young readers with no exposure to Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer will not see a discrepancy in story where Sid and Tom are concerned. Particularly young female readers will love The Actual & Truthful Adventures of Becky Thatcher. This might be a fun read-aloud in conjunction with a version of Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer both for the benefit of two good stories and the opportunity to discuss the differences in approach to character.
If The Actual & Truthful Adventures of Becky Thatcher sounds interesting, or you have already read & enjoyed it you may also like Lucy Maud Montgomery's classic Anne of Green Gables, Audrey Couloumbis' The Misadventures of Maude March and The Case of the Deadly Desperados (first in the P.K. Pinkerton series) by Caroline Lawrence (which also includes Samuel Clemens as an engaging character).
lrcartee's review against another edition
3.0
This is a cute story about Becky Thatcher from Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer. It takes place before the tales of Tom Sawyer and tells the tale of how Becky came to know Tom and all her adventures prior to being his friend. Prone to mischief and adventure, Becky's story is delightful. I particularly enjoyed the tying of some events and characters from the original novel, including an appearance by Samuel Clemens.
If you are looking for a good story for middle grades, this fits the bill.
If you are looking for a good story for middle grades, this fits the bill.
libscote's review against another edition
4.0
Oh, I need to re-read Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn's adventures now. This was a rollicking good story of Becky Thatcher, yes the same Thatcher in Twain's books. However, she's a little feistier in this one. I read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in sixth grade, and I think it would have been a lot of fun to read this one at the same time and compare the two.