Description
Description
In this brand new reimagining, Mary Jane--the red-headed spark from Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, who stole Huck's heart in just 30 pages--comes to life with her own story of adventuring down the Mississippi River in the 1840s. Meet Mary Jane Guild -- she's on a dangerous and unpredictable adventure down the Mississippi River -- and she'll steal Huck Finn's heart along the way. In these chapters you'll come to know the real Mary Jane: a girl on her own dangerous and unpredictable journey down the Mississippi River in pre-Civil War America. Equipped with an uncanny ability for mathematics, a talent for sewing, and a bale of beaver skins, Mary Jane navigates deadly illnesses, angry mobs, treacherous landowners, outright thieves and swindlers, and more than a thousand miles of muddy water. What's more, she thrives in the face of these challenges, thanks to support from a caring boat captain, generous neighbors, a cheery peddler, a chosen family, a loyal and loving dog, and two hardworking horses. Traveling solo requires Mary Jane to grow up fast, but it ultimately leads her to a new resilience, a love of adventure, deep and enduring sisterhood, and a blue-eyed, pony-tailed boy she can't stop thinking about. Jahren offers a wealth of layered characters and deeply researched, authentic details of changing times in the North and South. Using the language and style of Twain and shifting the point of view to a smart and determined young woman, she explores timeless themes of duty, family, romance, and betrayal, with grit and courage at the core.
About the Author
About the Author
Hope Jahren is a teacher, scientist, and book lover living in Oslo, Norway. Recognized as one Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People, Jahren is the recipient of three Fulbright Awards and was named one of the Brilliant 10 by Popular Science magazine in 2005. She is the author of two works of nonfiction: The Story of More and Lab Girl, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for autobiography. Adventures of Mary Jane is her first work of fiction.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
★ "Jahren has done a heroic amount of research but most of all has told a cracking good story. This book soars Huck Finn has met his match in a wildly appealing, smart, and courageous girl." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review ★ "Beautifully written and rich in fully realized, memorable characters and incident, the book is a treasure. Its surprising but satisfying ending gives Huckleberry Finn a run for its money." --Booklist, starred review ★ "A rollicking adventure full of rich characterizations that will be enjoyed by junior high and high school readers." --School Library Journal, starred review "Hope Jahren's Adventures of Mary Jane is a marvelous mix of history and fiction in the wake of Mark Twain's magnus opus." --Jerome Loving, author of Mark Twain: The Adventures of Samuel L. Clemens. "Hope Jahren give new life to Mark Twain's Mary Jane and to all her lucky readers. This lovely, generous novel takes us on a journey not just along the Mississippi but to the center of the human heart. --Jennifer Finney Boylan, author of She's Not There and co-author of Mad Honey.
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
Publisher:
Delacorte Press
Pub date:
2024-06-25
Length:
464 pages

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