false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1207769317m/2584435.jpg 2584435 2 <p> "Mark Twain was born fully grown, with a cheap cigar clamped between his teeth." So begins Sid Fleischman's ramble-scramble biography of the great American author and wit, who started life in a Missouri village as a barefoot boy named Samuel Clemens. </p> <p> Abandoning a career as a young steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River, Sam took a bumpy stagecoach to the Far West. In the gold and silver fields, he expected to get rich quick. Instead, he got poor fast, digging in the wrong places. His stint as a sagebrush newspaperman led to a duel with pistols. Had he not survived, the world would never have heard of Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn&#8212;or red-headed Mark Twain. </p> <p> Samuel Clemens adopted his pen name in a hotel room in San Francisco and promptly made a jumping frog (and himself) famous. His celebrated novels followed at a leisurely pace; his quips at jet speed. "Don't let schooling interfere with your education," he wrote. </p> <p> Here, in high style, is the story of a wisecracking adventurer who came of age in the untamed West; an ink-stained rebel who surprised himself by becoming the most famous American of his time. Bountifully illustrated. </p> 2601043 1 8 2008 The Trouble Begins at 8: A Life of Mark Twain in the Wild, Wild West total:146|5:27|4:64|3:40|2:9|1:6| 146 535 265 74 4 3 false false Sat Mar 15 09:31:36 -0700 2008 Sat Mar 15 09:34:33 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 1 false false Tue Nov 04 15:23:28 -0800 2008 Sun Nov 09 14:07:10 -0800 2008 Mixed feelings on this one.

I like what Fleischman did here--his biography of Mark Twain is colorful and funny, which makes total sense. The photographs and illustrations add a lot. And I liked that he incl...more...]]> 4 1 false false Sun Mar 30 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Mar 15 06:24:11 -0700 2008 Sun Mar 30 09:07:23 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Thu May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Mar 10 07:29:42 -0700 2008 Wed May 14 08:26:44 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Fri Nov 28 19:15:31 -0800 2008 Fri Nov 28 19:15:31 -0800 2008 more...]]> 0 0 false false Sat Feb 07 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 06 21:56:56 -0800 2009 Sat Feb 07 13:21:48 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Nov 24 08:57:06 -0800 2008 Mon Nov 24 08:57:31 -0800 2008
I loved Trouble Begins at 8. Loved it. Which is to say that I more than appreciated what it had to offer. More than saw it as a good nonfiction title. I mean really and truly loved, loved, loved i...more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Aug 25 08:03:07 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 25 08:35:15 -0700 2009 Mark Twain was born fully grown, with a cheap cigar clamped between his teeth . . .

While not as in-depth as a scholarly biography of Twain for adults nor the same as reading Twain himself, this is probably the next best thing in both instances--an engaging way to introduce kids to both ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Aug 13 17:59:42 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 14 11:09:56 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Apr 13 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 13 10:55:10 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 14 09:45:37 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sun Jun 22 07:37:30 -0700 2008 Fri Jul 11 04:57:33 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 1 false false Wed Apr 09 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Apr 06 10:10:24 -0700 2008 Wed Apr 09 19:44:21 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Jul 24 11:18:57 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 24 11:19:12 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Nov 23 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 24 09:45:22 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 24 09:56:17 -0800 2009 1 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jan 26 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 19 06:47:55 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 01 09:22:56 -0800 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Tue Jan 13 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 12 12:03:42 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 14 15:55:39 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 25 11:36:35 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 25 11:43:55 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Feb 04 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 02 10:44:55 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 04 11:03:18 -0800 2009
--The Trouble Begins at 8: A Life of Mark Twain in the Wild, Wild West, P. 175

This is a funny biography tha...more...]]> 2 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 20 19:59:48 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 20 20:03:58 -0800 2009
Why was such heavy paper stock used? It made this book really heavy to carry, which I think is a deterrent.

The illustrations or photos did not fill up the page, making a strange layout. You had to strain to read the captions when they could have...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Oct 04 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 02 07:34:55 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 04 20:50:15 -0700 2009 1. A fast read. Surprising for any biographical book regardless of its intended audience.
2. This book largely succeeded in reflecting the adventurous and humorous life of Mark Twain with its writing style.

Cons:
1. I realize if I wanted to learn more about Mark Twai...more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=2584435