3.5
The Actual & Truthful Adventures of Becky Thatcher
ByPublisher Description
Becky Thatcher has her side of the story to tell—and it’s a whopper—in this creative spin on Mark Twain’s beloved The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, complete with illustrations, that Publishers Weekly calls “a rewarding read on many levels” (starred review).
Tom Sawyer’s and Huckleberry Finn’s adventures are legendary, but what about the story you haven’t heard? In 1860, eleven-year-old Becky Thatcher is the new girl in town, determined to have adventures like she promised her brother Jon before he died. With her Mama frozen in grief and her Daddy busy as town judge, Becky spends much of her time on her own, getting into mischief. Before long, she joins the boys at school in a bet to steal from the Widow Douglas, and Becky convinces her new best friend, Amy Lawrence, to join her.
But the theft doesn’t go as planned, and Widow Douglas ends up being unfairly accused of grave robbing as a result. So Becky concocts a plan to clear the Widow’s name. If she pulls it off, she might just get her Mama to notice her again, as well as fulfill her promise to Jon in a most unexpected way. That is, if that tattletale Tom Sawyer will quit following her around.
Tom Sawyer’s and Huckleberry Finn’s adventures are legendary, but what about the story you haven’t heard? In 1860, eleven-year-old Becky Thatcher is the new girl in town, determined to have adventures like she promised her brother Jon before he died. With her Mama frozen in grief and her Daddy busy as town judge, Becky spends much of her time on her own, getting into mischief. Before long, she joins the boys at school in a bet to steal from the Widow Douglas, and Becky convinces her new best friend, Amy Lawrence, to join her.
But the theft doesn’t go as planned, and Widow Douglas ends up being unfairly accused of grave robbing as a result. So Becky concocts a plan to clear the Widow’s name. If she pulls it off, she might just get her Mama to notice her again, as well as fulfill her promise to Jon in a most unexpected way. That is, if that tattletale Tom Sawyer will quit following her around.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesThe Actual & Truthful Adventures of Becky Thatcher Reviews
3.5
“This was a cute retelling and I enjoyed many aspects of this book, especially Samuel Clemens being involved in this story and the "switch" of Tom and Sid.
I have always loved Huck Finn a little more than Tom Sawyer so I found myself wondering when he would show up but then had some mixed feelings when he finally "did". I loved the Widow Douglas in this book as well.”
“A fun twist with the character, Tom Sawyer. While it was entertaining, the ending was somewhat obvious.”
About Jessica Lawson
Jessica Lawson is the author of The Actual & Truthful Adventures of Becky Thatcher, a book that Publishers Weekly called “a delightfully clever debut” in a starred review, and Nooks & Crannies, a Junior Library Guild Selection and recipient of three starred reviews. She is also the author of Waiting for Augusta, Under the Bottle Bridge, and How to Save a Queendom. You can visit her at JessicaLawsonBooks.com.
Other books by Jessica Lawson
Iacopo Bruno
Iacopo Bruno is an illustrator and graphic designer living in Milan, Italy.
Other books by Iacopo Bruno
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