Customer Reviews

The Trouble Begins at 8: A Life of Mark Twain in the Wild, Wild West

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4 star:		(3)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

While this book is written for teens it doesn't matter because it does an exceptional job of telling the story of Mark Twain's life and the Wild West. Amazon and the critical reviews indicate it is for ages 9-12 but it easily goes higher, through middle school, to paint a picture of this character's life. Plus, Sid Fleischman is nothing shy of a genius when it comes to writing. He's givens readers engaging and thought provoking books. This book is brilliant.

On March 18,I was driving to a bookstore with my daughter and one of the things I was saying to here was that in school we had never learned about one of my favourite writers.In Canada,American literature was not part of the curriculum .The attitude was that English Literature had to come from England;because we were part of the British Empire and real literature consisted of Shakespear,Stevenson,Kipling,Dickens,Scott,Byron,Swift,and such;and that American writers just didn't measure up.It wasn't till I finished my "education" that I began to find and love writers like Twain,Hemingway,Steinbeck,Caldwell,Mitchell,and the many other writers that became my favorites.
Anyway, as we were about to leave the store,my daughter came up to me with Sid Fleischman's book "The Trouble Begins at 8" in her hand."I suppose you've read this",she said.Of course,the caricature of Mark Twain on the cover got my attention ,but neither the book,nor the name of Fleischman, was familiar to me.Having read most of Twain's books,I immediately bought it.
What a surprise I was in for,to say the least. Although it states on the dust jacket ,that it is for ages 9-12,I found it a exellent book for all ages.Fleischman is a wonderful writer,and the approach he takes keeps the reader's interest from beginning to end.The book is really a biography and much more than just an accounting of Twain's life.He tells us many things about Twain that are different and interesting.It is filled with photographs and illustrations that I simply had not seen before.There is a detailed "Mark Twain Time Line" that is very helpful and which ,along with References and a Bibliography that make it an excellent reference resource on the life and works of Twain.
While I thought that it was quite a coincidence to find this book after having discussed Twain with my daughter;after I finished reading the book,I deecided to read up on the author Sid Fleischman.Talk about coincidences!!!I found out that he had just passed away on March 17th, at the age of 90,the day before I bought his book.
Twain has to be one of America's most frequently quoted characters.This coincidental passing of of Sid Fleischman reminded me of two quotes of Twain's: "In 1897,James Ross Clemens.a cousin of mine,was seriously ill two or three weeks ago in London,but is well now.The report of my illness,grew out of his illness,the report of my death was an exaggeration." Many versions of this famous quip have been attributed to Mark Twain;this version appears to be the most authorative.
Another time,July 13,1907,in an interview in the New York Times ,he said,"For two years past I have been planning my funeral,but I have changed my mind and have postponed it."
This is a marvellous book and sure to be enjoyed by any Mark Twain fan.

Well, seeing that our author is a great story teller i expected this book to be ok, and it was. there is plenty of funny stories that mix perfectly with info about Mark Twains life, or lack thereof. I thought this book was great and i recommend it.

As a rollicking autobiography of Twain, this book is well done and entertaining. My concern is the audience indicated as 9-12 year olds or grades 5-8 is off the mark. Opening up to random double-page spreads, my 5th grader will encounter words like conjuration, aversion, arraigned, delusion. At first I assumed the tougher vocabulary came from quotes from Twain himself, which would be expected, but Fleishman feels the need to recreate the tone of a Twain contemporary with phrases like, "He had formerly found it diverting on occasion to convert his personal trevail into humorous pieces for newspapers." References to phrenology, visiting "clairvoyants incognito," and "A rara avis speaking the greatest one-liners written for a bird since those of the ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes" are sure to leave most middle-schoolers befuddled.

Fleischman is a delicous writer, but will be an aquired taste for younger readers. Parents and teachers could use The Trouble Begins at 8 successfully as a read-aloud for students who will struggle with the vocabulary but still appreciate the adventurous life of the author. More appropriate for 8-12 graders.

Though the publisher's recommended age for this book is 9-12, I feel that older children in middle school and junior high will also find this an interesting and informative read. In fact, I read it through in one sitting and was quite entertained. The book traces Twain's life from childhood until his attainment of fame as an author. There are interesting anecdotes scattered throughout, e.g. being Twain's confession to feeding his medicine (as a child) to the household cats, etc. There are many archival photographs and whimsical illustrations in this book that are sure to delight readers. Recommended!

A thorough, detailed, beautifully written book about one of the most beloved authors of all time, Samuel Clemens, but we know him as the master-writer of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer... Mark Twain. Sid Fleischman has once again taken a topic that causes most kids to run screaming in the opposite direction - and made it interesting, intriguing and most importantly - Fun! You will thoroughly enjoy the wisecrack for which the book is named..."The Trouble Begins At 8."

From his early days in Missouri, through many of his personal adventures; as a steamboat pilot, mining for gold, dancing the `kangaroo' in San Francisco, just to name a few, He was often referred to as a `gentlemen of leisure,' Mark Twain's life was above all, interesting. Sid Fleischman has captured the essence of this free spirited writer that today is one of only a handful of authors counted as true masters of the pen. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in literature, regardless of age. Sid Fleischman is a talented writer and his ability to continually breath new life into old stories is unparalleled. This is an exceptionally well written and highly enjoyable read - Don't Miss it!

Happy Reading!

Amazon has become like the Duke and the King in Huckleberry Finn. They solicited this book to me as something that I would like---and its true I do read books by and about Mark Twain.

But I read adult books and this is a teen book with big type and few lines per page.

Amazon has to do a better job of matching readers with books!