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The Extraordinary Mark Twain
From the Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor-winning team behind WHAT TO DO ABOUT ALICE?, a humorous and intimate portrait of the most celebrated writer in America, as told by his thirteen-year-old daughter. "This is a frank biographer and an honest one; she uses no sandpaper on me." - Mark Twain An NCTE Orbis Pictus Recommended Book "Inspired." -- The Washington Post From the award-winning team behind What to Do About Alice? , comes a humorous and intimate portrait of the most celebrated writer in America, as told by his thirteen-year-old daughter.Susy Clemens thought the world was wrong about her papa. They saw Mark Twain as "a humorist joking at everything." But he was so much more, and Susy was determined to set the record straight. In a journal she kept under her pillow, Susy documented her world-famous father-from his habits (good and bad!) to his writing routine to their family's colorful home life. Her frank, funny, tender biography (which came to be one of Twain's most prized possessions) gives rare insight and an unforgettable perspective on an American icon. Inserts with excerpts from Susy's actual journal give added appeal.
48 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
6 people are currently reading
545 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Kerley
26 books97 followersBarbara Kerley was born in Washington, D.C. and has lived in many places, including Nepal and the tropical island of Guam. She has written about almost everything: 19th C iguanodons, Teddy Roosevelt, world peace, Mark Twain's donkey, and the pleasure of following your curiosity.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 259 reviews
October 9, 2010
Wow! I loved this book. This is a true account of how Twain’s 13 year old daughter Susy spent over a year working on a biography of her father.
A bit sad given that Susy died at only 24 years of age, but what I really noticed was how poignantly it showed one example of what it feels like to be the child of a famous parent.
Twain was a very funny man and Susy and this book managed to capture some of that. But Susy was careful to show all facets of her father’s personality and many details about his life. I loved how her writing is shown in little journal pages readers of this book open on many of this book’s pages. That was a nice touch, as were all the actual quotes from Susy’s biography.
I learned how Twain (Samuel Clemens) loved cats, and a donkey. Very cool! Susy’s final entry about her father had me laughing myself silly; Twain was quite the character. He also sounds as though he was a good father. I appreciated how he encouraged Susy’s biography about him and how he embraced her honest opinions and recorded facts.
The illustrations are wonderful. I thought the animals were particularly enjoyable, especially all the cats. The mini pages that are used to show Susy’s journal entries/biography writing are inspired, and fun to read in that format. The illustration of Twain as a boy feigning illness to avoid going to school was very amusing.
There is terrific information at the end of the book: a little section about both “Papa” and Susy, a selected timeline of Mark Twain’s life, a list of sources, and best of all a page of instructions and ideas for how kids can write a biography, perhaps about a member of their family. There’s even a web page where one can print out that latter information. There is also one photo of the family, only one, but it’s lovely: it’s of Twain and Susy and her mother/Twain’s wife and Susy’s two younger sisters, and a family dog.
A bit sad given that Susy died at only 24 years of age, but what I really noticed was how poignantly it showed one example of what it feels like to be the child of a famous parent.
Twain was a very funny man and Susy and this book managed to capture some of that. But Susy was careful to show all facets of her father’s personality and many details about his life. I loved how her writing is shown in little journal pages readers of this book open on many of this book’s pages. That was a nice touch, as were all the actual quotes from Susy’s biography.
I learned how Twain (Samuel Clemens) loved cats, and a donkey. Very cool! Susy’s final entry about her father had me laughing myself silly; Twain was quite the character. He also sounds as though he was a good father. I appreciated how he encouraged Susy’s biography about him and how he embraced her honest opinions and recorded facts.
The illustrations are wonderful. I thought the animals were particularly enjoyable, especially all the cats. The mini pages that are used to show Susy’s journal entries/biography writing are inspired, and fun to read in that format. The illustration of Twain as a boy feigning illness to avoid going to school was very amusing.
There is terrific information at the end of the book: a little section about both “Papa” and Susy, a selected timeline of Mark Twain’s life, a list of sources, and best of all a page of instructions and ideas for how kids can write a biography, perhaps about a member of their family. There’s even a web page where one can print out that latter information. There is also one photo of the family, only one, but it’s lovely: it’s of Twain and Susy and her mother/Twain’s wife and Susy’s two younger sisters, and a family dog.
November 17, 2019
I've had this picture-book biography of Mark Twain - really, it's about Twain and his daughter Susy - on my "to-be-read" shelf for some time now, but my recent viewing of a PBS documentary on the great man (I think it was the Ken Burns film, but I can't remember...), which discussed his relationship with Susy, prompted me to finally pick it up and give it a try. How glad I am that I did (and how grateful I am to my goodreads pal Chandra, for bringing it to my attention!), as it is a wonderfully informative, and subtly enlightening title, one that will give young readers, not just a snapshot of Samuel Clemens' life, but a portrait of him as a loving father and mentor to his young daughter, Susy.
Susy Clemens did indeed write a biography of her father, beginning when she was thirteen years old, because she thought the public was unacquainted with the "real" Mark Twain - older readers interested in the full text can pick up a copy of Papa: An Intimate Biography of Mark Twain - and it is this work which has inspired Barbara Kerley in her picture-book. The main narrative is enhanced by little booklet inserts, containing quotes from Susy itself, making The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy) into an interactive story within a story. The accompanying illustrations by Edwin Fotheringham - whose artwork has also graced other picture-book biographies, from What To Do About Alice?: How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove Her Father Teddy Crazy! (also written by Barbara Kerley) to Mermaid Queen: The Spectacular True Story Of Annette Kellerman, Who Swam Her Way To Fame, Fortune & Swimsuit History! - are eye-catching, and capture the quirky and irreverent sense of humor often displayed by its main subject.
All in all, this is a most engaging book about an important man in American letters - and about his daughter - and is one I would recommend to all young readers interested in American literature, or who enjoys biography and/or family stories!
Susy Clemens did indeed write a biography of her father, beginning when she was thirteen years old, because she thought the public was unacquainted with the "real" Mark Twain - older readers interested in the full text can pick up a copy of Papa: An Intimate Biography of Mark Twain - and it is this work which has inspired Barbara Kerley in her picture-book. The main narrative is enhanced by little booklet inserts, containing quotes from Susy itself, making The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy) into an interactive story within a story. The accompanying illustrations by Edwin Fotheringham - whose artwork has also graced other picture-book biographies, from What To Do About Alice?: How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove Her Father Teddy Crazy! (also written by Barbara Kerley) to Mermaid Queen: The Spectacular True Story Of Annette Kellerman, Who Swam Her Way To Fame, Fortune & Swimsuit History! - are eye-catching, and capture the quirky and irreverent sense of humor often displayed by its main subject.
All in all, this is a most engaging book about an important man in American letters - and about his daughter - and is one I would recommend to all young readers interested in American literature, or who enjoys biography and/or family stories!
June 28, 2010
I really enjoyed Kerley and Fotheringham's What to Do about Alice?: How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove Her Father Teddy Crazy! and I have enjoyed many of Twain's books so I was very excited when my GoodReads friend Chandra recommended this book to me. I'm pleased to say that it did not disappoint.
I love the idea of a biography of the famous Mark Twain being told from a young person's perspective--and that of his daughter, no less. Best of all, it's TRUE! At age thirteen, his daughter Susy wrote many biographical sketches of her father in her diary. She wanted the world to see him as more than just a humorist. "It troubles me to have so few people know Papa, I mean really know him... They think of him as a humorist, joking at everything... I never saw a man with so much variety of feeling as Papa." Indeed, Mark Twain was so impressed with his daughter's biography, calling her "a kindly biographer... yet, to quite a credible degree, loyal to the responsibilities of her position as a historian." He came to treasure his daughter's diary after her untimely passing and even used excerpts from it in his auto-biography.
This picture book has so many things going for it! The illustrations are full of color and life, a great deal of fun but also shaded with emotion—a good match for Twain himself, I'd guess. And I love the idea of having actual excerpts from Susy's diary in the little "Journal" pages folded up in the midst of the larger pages of the book (sorry, can't think of a better way to describe it) but though I think kids will have fun opening the tiny pages, I found they distracted a bit from the overall effect of the illustrations. It's also fun to see the diary complete with Susy's own misspellings and punctuation errors--this could be a great learning tool for kids who are reluctant or struggling to learn their own spelling and punctuation. And some of the tidbits we learn about Twain are really interesting. (I came away wanting to know about all the "delightfully dreadful parts" of HUCK FINN that were edited out by his wife at his request to "clean up any questionable passages"! I can only imagine, haha!)
But, overall I give this book only four stars because it failed to make me feel a real emotional connection to Twain or Susy. I can't quite figure out why... it really did seem to have all the components! Even so, it's a very worthwhile story, especially for those interested in learning about Twain.
Kerley includes notes on How to Write an Extraordinary Biography at the end of the book, with a link to a website where teachers can print off the pages for classroom use.
I love the idea of a biography of the famous Mark Twain being told from a young person's perspective--and that of his daughter, no less. Best of all, it's TRUE! At age thirteen, his daughter Susy wrote many biographical sketches of her father in her diary. She wanted the world to see him as more than just a humorist. "It troubles me to have so few people know Papa, I mean really know him... They think of him as a humorist, joking at everything... I never saw a man with so much variety of feeling as Papa." Indeed, Mark Twain was so impressed with his daughter's biography, calling her "a kindly biographer... yet, to quite a credible degree, loyal to the responsibilities of her position as a historian." He came to treasure his daughter's diary after her untimely passing and even used excerpts from it in his auto-biography.
This picture book has so many things going for it! The illustrations are full of color and life, a great deal of fun but also shaded with emotion—a good match for Twain himself, I'd guess. And I love the idea of having actual excerpts from Susy's diary in the little "Journal" pages folded up in the midst of the larger pages of the book (sorry, can't think of a better way to describe it) but though I think kids will have fun opening the tiny pages, I found they distracted a bit from the overall effect of the illustrations. It's also fun to see the diary complete with Susy's own misspellings and punctuation errors--this could be a great learning tool for kids who are reluctant or struggling to learn their own spelling and punctuation. And some of the tidbits we learn about Twain are really interesting. (I came away wanting to know about all the "delightfully dreadful parts" of HUCK FINN that were edited out by his wife at his request to "clean up any questionable passages"! I can only imagine, haha!)
But, overall I give this book only four stars because it failed to make me feel a real emotional connection to Twain or Susy. I can't quite figure out why... it really did seem to have all the components! Even so, it's a very worthwhile story, especially for those interested in learning about Twain.
Kerley includes notes on How to Write an Extraordinary Biography at the end of the book, with a link to a website where teachers can print off the pages for classroom use.
November 29, 2022
Very well done. ☺️
June 4, 2016
I really liked this book, and it reminded me a bit of "The Adventures of Mark Twain by Huckleberry Finn," a book that describes Twain's life through the language of his most recognized character, Huck.
I envision a lot of practical teaching applications with this book. Much of the intrigue comes from Twain's daughter, Susy and her comments about her father from a secret biography she began to write of him. These engaging inserts are placed in various parts of the book and tell stories about Twain that I've never heard before. Very cleverly done. A great example of primary research done by Barbara Kerley.
I also like the writing style of Kerley. She's written other picture books in biography formats, and her writing style is engaging. I love the number of diverse conventions she uses and the potential inquiry and classroom discussion that can occur to determine why she may have made certain decisions. Kerley's and Susy's word choice also add another layer to this.
Finally, this could be an excellent book to introduce students to the genre of biography. Kerley describes Susy's habits when collecting information for her biography about her dad that could be easily replicated by students to write their own biography of someone.
I envision a lot of practical teaching applications with this book. Much of the intrigue comes from Twain's daughter, Susy and her comments about her father from a secret biography she began to write of him. These engaging inserts are placed in various parts of the book and tell stories about Twain that I've never heard before. Very cleverly done. A great example of primary research done by Barbara Kerley.
I also like the writing style of Kerley. She's written other picture books in biography formats, and her writing style is engaging. I love the number of diverse conventions she uses and the potential inquiry and classroom discussion that can occur to determine why she may have made certain decisions. Kerley's and Susy's word choice also add another layer to this.
Finally, this could be an excellent book to introduce students to the genre of biography. Kerley describes Susy's habits when collecting information for her biography about her dad that could be easily replicated by students to write their own biography of someone.
January 31, 2012
This book would make a fantastic introduction to the life of Mark Twain for nearly any age group. I am not sure that younger students (K-3) would have enough background knowledge to understand who Mark Twain was, but students reading "Tom Sawyer" or "Huckleberry Finn" would enjoy the personal background information on Twain. This book is a book within a book, the larger book being an illustrated biography of Twain (presumably written by Kerley), but the journal entries contained in the smaller book excerpts are childhood journal entries from Susy Twain (Twain's daughter). I would use this book as a read-aloud to students to begin a unit, and also as a nice representation of an informal biography.
Beehive Book Award Nominee 2012
Beehive Book Award Nominee 2012
April 21, 2010
Mark Twain's 13-year old daughter, Susy, studies him so that she can write a biography that reveals who her father really is. Bold illustrations reflect the time period and the book includes mini-book journal pages with Susy's observations.
Filled with quotes from Twain and Susy, this book accomplishes what Susy set out to do-- creating a richer portrait of her father than most people knew.
I wonder, though, if this book is directed at kids or adults like librarians and teachers. Tips for writing a biography in the back read more like teaching tips than advice for young writers.
Filled with quotes from Twain and Susy, this book accomplishes what Susy set out to do-- creating a richer portrait of her father than most people knew.
I wonder, though, if this book is directed at kids or adults like librarians and teachers. Tips for writing a biography in the back read more like teaching tips than advice for young writers.
March 8, 2018
Wish I could have met Mark Twain—and his cats! His daughter Susy paints him as quite the character. Who knew she wrote a biography of him when she was 13? I love the way Kerley tells the story, with excerpts from Susy’s biography inserted as journal pages. Fotheringham’s illustrations contain that touch of humor so representative of Twain himself. And there’s at least one cat in almost every picture! Kerley includes more information about Twain and Susy at the back of the book, as well as a photo of the whole family (with dog—no cats). Best of all, she provides a page of useful tips on how to write a biography. Readers young and old will find this book as entertaining and amusing as Twain himself. Highly recommended!
December 22, 2024
This is an interesting book that I enjoyed reading. I don't feel like it works so much as a read aloud book due to all the quotes from Susie's book sprinkled throughout. They make the prose sound a bit odd unless you are looking at the page while reading and understand what the quotes mean. It might make a good mentor text for in-text quotations. I think Susy making a biography of her father is adorable and she really tells it like it is while also proving that she adores her father. There's also good information for kids about how to write a biography, so this could be useful as instruction in a classroom as well.
September 28, 2011
A mi me encanta este libro biografico. Este libro se trata del autor famoso Mark Twain. El libro esta escrito en el punto de vista de susy, la hija de Mark Twain. susy explica que su papa es serio,no es chistoso como el mundo piesa.Yo tego un libro de segreto y yo los escondo en mi gabeta.Me pregunto porque tenia tatos ganos el senor twain?quiero recorda que porque el senor twain tiene mucho gatos.yo quiero recordar este libro a Ms. Juan porque ami me encanta y piensoque aeya el bagustar.
September 26, 2011
Ami me encanta este libro biografico. Este libro se trata de Mark Twain, un actor famoso. El libro esta escrito en el punto de vista, Susy la hija de Mark Twain. Susy explica que su papa es serio no es chistoso como el mundo pienza. Mi esquema es que mi prima Jeovanna tiene un gatito que se llama Chanel. Porque Mark Twain tiene como mil de gatos? Quiero recordar que Susy escribio un libro de su papa. Yo recomiendo este libro a Ms.Juan porque es interesante y creo que le va a gustar.
October 26, 2013
The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According To Susy) is a nonfiction story about Mark Twain's life from the viewpoint of his daughter Susy. This book would be a good book for students in grades 3 to 4. Teachers could read this book with students when discussing Mark Twain in English class. The students could then do an activity in which they practice writing biographies of their own, using techniques that Susy talks about in the book.
July 5, 2016
Very good! An interesting angle on the biography, with a consistent message, and didn't shy away (well, not entirely at least) from Twain's quirks and failings.
I liked the format, with little booklets inserted in for selections from Susy's biography of her father. Good choice on keeping the antiquated language and spelling errors, as well.
Art is strong but not exceptional. Fits the bill quite nicely.
I liked the format, with little booklets inserted in for selections from Susy's biography of her father. Good choice on keeping the antiquated language and spelling errors, as well.
Art is strong but not exceptional. Fits the bill quite nicely.
January 23, 2021
My new favorite biography for the picture book crowd, this brilliant adaptation of the information from Twain's own daughter's writings makes for hilarious, insightful, informative, entertaining reading. Copious backmatter, gorgeous illustrations to pour over repeatedly, and gimmicky mini diaries glued inside every spread will have both children and adults in love with Mark Twain and Barbara Kerley. Gotta own it!
November 14, 2011
It's fascinating to have such a personal glimpse into such a larger-than-life person's home, routine, and family affairs. My five year-old was the one who ended up sitting through this one with me several times.
The pictures were well-done and had a great sense of the time period. I want to look up more of Barbar Kerley's stuff now.
The pictures were well-done and had a great sense of the time period. I want to look up more of Barbar Kerley's stuff now.
March 14, 2016
Fantastic blend of historical journal, beautiful picture book, and finely researched information about America's favorite humorist. The mini, "handwritten" journal insert between every spread is delightful! Selected timeline of his life and historic family photo provided inside the back cover. Recommend for grade 3 and up.
November 2, 2011
A really sweet biography by Twain's daughter when she was only 12 or 13. The book has fun illustrations of Twain with his family and inserts of the journal/biography made by his daughter. A fun book to introduce the wonderful Mark Twain.
April 15, 2018
This novel is from the perspective of Mark Twain’s daughter who wants to correct people’s opinion on the father, by writing her own secret biography about him. Susy describes how “papa” is the busiest bee in the household, how he often would confer with the cat, as well as describe is horrible habits, such as smoking. One day Mark Twain and his wife find Susy’s biography and he was so touched that he decided to help out her and would describe his youthful days and his work habits. Suzy also describes how her mother would often edit her fathers work. At the end of the book Susy finishes her biography and feels that she officially depicted the humorous, serious, absentminded, cat loving and philosophical man. Along with the descriptive text colorful illustrations with bright and beautiful depictions of Mark Twain and his surroundings, created by Edwin Fotheringham, cover the pages. The book is quite enticing for a student and is a great introduction to a biography for elementary aged students. However, the book does not include a wide variety of factual evidence or historical images. The novel is modern and a great use for teachers to explain how to use a picture book for research and more.
November 19, 2017
In this book we get a closer look at the life of Mark Twain and the kind of man that he was. The author, Barbara Kerley, uses excerpts from the personal journal of Mark Twain's daughter, Suzy, who was taking notes on her father in order to write a biography about him. The book describes him even more in depth than what many people thought they new about him, from the perspective of his daughters writing.
I loved the insight this book gives into the life of Mark Twain. He was such an interesting man and it is very neat that the book uses entries from his daughters journal, letting people see the man he really was, not just the man people thought they knew. I would include this book in an author study, and even to inspire children to keep a journal detailing their own life or the life of someone important to them.
I loved the insight this book gives into the life of Mark Twain. He was such an interesting man and it is very neat that the book uses entries from his daughters journal, letting people see the man he really was, not just the man people thought they knew. I would include this book in an author study, and even to inspire children to keep a journal detailing their own life or the life of someone important to them.
November 18, 2019
The Extraordinary Mark Twain (according to susy) helps deliver a new way of giving a bibliography description of a historical figure. Susy is Mark Twain's daughter and she wrote notes about her father. The notes are inserted at the center of every other page and they usually describe or align with what the page is currently talking about. This book gives a different perspective of Mark Twain compared to other connotations that have been stated about him. The illustrations depict the genius he was, the creativity, and caring father he was. Digital enhanced illustrations drived the story and even the misspellings by Susy.
October 28, 2017
I enjoyed this book, as it is a collection of journal entries from Mark Twain's daughter. There are little books inside of the book, which are actual words written by his daughter, Susy. She wanted to tell the world who her father really was, and as he noticed what she was doing, Twain wold help her along with bits of information he thought were interesting about himself too! This would be a good book to use when discussing the different styles of writing, students could see different points of view in an autobiography vs. biography.
October 2, 2017
Biographical story of Mark Twain as told by his daughter Susy. This picture book highlights the life of Mark Twain as told by someone very close to him. Excerpts taken from her journal recount the finer points of Mark Twain, his ideas, beliefs and parenting. These snippets from Suzy's journal are used by Twain as part of his autobiography.
I loved the author's layout of the book, including page-page like parts of Suzy's journal within the text.
I loved the author's layout of the book, including page-page like parts of Suzy's journal within the text.
January 31, 2018
This picture book is about mark twain and his daughters journey on writing about her dads life.
I really didn't love this book, I thought it was an alright telling of mark twains life, but I would have rather heard of it from his perspective rather than his daughters.
I could use this book in my classroom to do a unit on mark twain and his life, and this book would be more friendly for a child to understand.
I really didn't love this book, I thought it was an alright telling of mark twains life, but I would have rather heard of it from his perspective rather than his daughters.
I could use this book in my classroom to do a unit on mark twain and his life, and this book would be more friendly for a child to understand.
January 8, 2022
Susy Clemens thinks people have the wrong idea about her father and intends to set them straight by secretly penning his biography herself.
Outstanding, creative biography of the beloved author, based on the actual journal written by his daughter, Susy. Clever insertions of quotes from her journal, complete with variant cute spellings, give the reader a sense of her love and devotion to her father, his love for cats, and his humorous and serious sides. Delightful!
Outstanding, creative biography of the beloved author, based on the actual journal written by his daughter, Susy. Clever insertions of quotes from her journal, complete with variant cute spellings, give the reader a sense of her love and devotion to her father, his love for cats, and his humorous and serious sides. Delightful!
May 4, 2017
I really enjoyed how interactive this book was. It has actual journal entries from Mark Twain. I loved the pop ups and little detailed elements throughout the book. I think this would be a great nonfiction piece for middle to upper elementary. I love the look of the book, as well. It is so chaotic but I think that's because they wanted to express part of Twain's character through the graphics.
September 25, 2017
Interesting biography about Mark Twain according to his daughter Susy. This book has amazing illustrations and it's interactive with foldable journals as well as the "write your own biography" activity provided in the end. In my opinion it's also more entertaining and appealing to children than normal biographys.
May 28, 2019
Another children's picture book biography. This one at least I know. Well kind of. Because actually it's the story of the biography of Mark Twain that his daughter started writing when she was 13. It's kind of cute and funny and done pretty well. And it's also Mark Twain. With good enough art. And apparently the whole journal is published so ...
September 14, 2017
This book is interact with the students. it includes fold outs that are labeled as the journal and the writing of his daughter, which follow along the line of the story itself. This book would be a good introduction into learning about authors or into thinking about our own families.
November 20, 2017
Mark Twain's daughter wrote a biography about him. This is a picture book based on that biography.
There are small "books" insert in some of the 2 page spreads. I don't know if they always add to the story.
There are small "books" insert in some of the 2 page spreads. I don't know if they always add to the story.
April 1, 2019
A remarkable book. I loved Susy’s journals within the book. The journals helped to create an authenticity to the story. I enjoyed learning more about Mark Twain. This book piqued my curiosity, which is always a good thing. My 10 year old enjoyed this one as well.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 259 reviews