The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy)

The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy) tells the story of how Mark Twain's 13-year-old daughter Susy secretly wrote a biography of her famous father. The book interweaves excerpts from Susy's actual biography with illustrations and details about the Twain family's life together. Barbara Kerley bases her narrative on historical documents, including Susy's original manuscript. The book shows both Twain's public persona as a writer and performer, as well as his private role as a father through his daughter's perspective. The relationship between father and daughter forms the heart of this biography, which reveals how a child viewed one of America's most celebrated authors. Through the dual layers of Kerley's text and Susy's observations, readers gain insight into family life in the late 1800s and the bond between a parent and child. The book explores themes of family relationships, growing up, and how children can surprise adults with their wisdom and understanding. It stands as both a biographical work and a meditation on how people appear differently to those who know them best.

Readers appreciate how this children's biography shows Mark Twain through his daughter Susy's perspective, giving an intimate family view rather than just historical facts. Parents and teachers note it helps make Twain relatable to young readers. Readers liked: - The creative layout incorporating Susy's actual diary entries - The mix of illustrations and historical photographs - How it depicts the loving father-daughter relationship - The unique child's-eye view of a famous figure Common criticisms: - Some found the format confusing with multiple text styles - A few noted it may be too complex for younger children to follow independently Ratings: Goodreads: 4.1/5 (284 ratings) Amazon: 4.7/5 (47 ratings) One librarian reviewer called it "a fresh take on biography for young readers." A parent noted their 9-year-old "was inspired to start her own diary after reading about Susy's observations." The book won the 2011 NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor for Outstanding Nonfiction.

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🖋️ Susy Clemens began her biography of her father (Mark Twain) when she was just 13 years old, writing in secret and observing his daily habits and personality quirks 📚 The book incorporates Susy's actual words from her biography, presented in a handwritten font to distinguish them from the rest of the text 🏠 Mark Twain would often write his stories while lying in bed, and Susy noted that he would sometimes stay there until dinner time 🎨 The illustrations by Edwin Fotheringham blend period details with a modern, energetic style that captures both the Victorian era and Mark Twain's lively personality 📝 When Mark Twain discovered his daughter's biography about him, he was so touched that he included portions of it in his own autobiography and had it published in magazines