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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
In a specially adapted version for young readers by Deidre S. Laiken.
Floating down the Mississippi, Huckleberry Finn and Jim, a runaway slave, find life filled with excitement and the spirit of adventure. Join Huck and Jim and their old friend Tom Sawyer as they come up against low-down thieves and murderers, while being chased by Huck's evil, drunken Pa, who is after Huck's treasure. It's one trip you will want to take again and again.
Floating down the Mississippi, Huckleberry Finn and Jim, a runaway slave, find life filled with excitement and the spirit of adventure. Join Huck and Jim and their old friend Tom Sawyer as they come up against low-down thieves and murderers, while being chased by Huck's evil, drunken Pa, who is after Huck's treasure. It's one trip you will want to take again and again.
239 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
July 8, 2009
Different than I remembered from my childhood, sort of. I actually deeply enjoyed the slapstick silliness of the plot, where there was plot, more than I did the more 'literary' elements.
(And, overall, I'm impressed with how nonliterary the Greatest American Novel actually is. Hooray for Vernacular America!)
The book isn't entirely about race, but nearly so. Interesting that as a kid I missed a lot of it, when it seems to dominate most pages. I must have just trained my junior self to skip lightly across the n words and massive amounts of racism, and as a result missed the point of so much of it being there.
Of course poor Jim gets left out of a lot of the action, but his plight as frequently-shackled-and/or-costumed sidekick is hard to bear nonetheless. I think I can see Twain's approach: he starts with a caricature, and works in the real man gradually until the reader is unable to think of him as a caricature anymore. Though, it's too bad it stops midway through the process. I finished the book this morning and now I can't stop thinking: now that Jim's free, will he be able to rescue his wife and children? Where will he go and how will he support himself?
Of course, Huck as narrator is colorfully oblivious to a lot of things, and attentive to others. I find it believable that he'd leave out many things we'd want to know. But I wish the balance was shifted just a little.
The parts Jim gets left out of are interesting too- the small-town cons, the portrait of complicated little riverside farm families, the ways church and community and commerce and whiskey entangle. In some ways this would've still been an excellent, maybe even a less flawed, book, without Jim and slavery at all. But having such a deeply weighty theme throws all this other stuff to the side and makes the book slop water across the bows. Which, I suppose is why it's not a good book but a great one.
I know a lot of people are deeply bothered by the tacked-on ending with Tom Sawyer, and I suppose I'm a little annoyed by it too. But that's mostly because Tom Sawyer himself is so irritating: smarmy, self-important, and cushioned. Compared to Huck and Jim, he's a spoiled bourgeois with an elevated sense of entitlement. (Maybe he's intended to be annoying?) It seems very telling that Huck undergoes great moral terror to free Jim-- in his mind, it's burn in hell, or betray someone he loves, and he chooses hell. But Tom makes the decision because he knows it doesn't matter, and he wants to play make-believe.
The silliness of the plot itself during the end section is pretty great in many ways though.
(And, overall, I'm impressed with how nonliterary the Greatest American Novel actually is. Hooray for Vernacular America!)
The book isn't entirely about race, but nearly so. Interesting that as a kid I missed a lot of it, when it seems to dominate most pages. I must have just trained my junior self to skip lightly across the n words and massive amounts of racism, and as a result missed the point of so much of it being there.
Of course poor Jim gets left out of a lot of the action, but his plight as frequently-shackled-and/or-costumed sidekick is hard to bear nonetheless. I think I can see Twain's approach: he starts with a caricature, and works in the real man gradually until the reader is unable to think of him as a caricature anymore. Though, it's too bad it stops midway through the process. I finished the book this morning and now I can't stop thinking: now that Jim's free, will he be able to rescue his wife and children? Where will he go and how will he support himself?
Of course, Huck as narrator is colorfully oblivious to a lot of things, and attentive to others. I find it believable that he'd leave out many things we'd want to know. But I wish the balance was shifted just a little.
The parts Jim gets left out of are interesting too- the small-town cons, the portrait of complicated little riverside farm families, the ways church and community and commerce and whiskey entangle. In some ways this would've still been an excellent, maybe even a less flawed, book, without Jim and slavery at all. But having such a deeply weighty theme throws all this other stuff to the side and makes the book slop water across the bows. Which, I suppose is why it's not a good book but a great one.
I know a lot of people are deeply bothered by the tacked-on ending with Tom Sawyer, and I suppose I'm a little annoyed by it too. But that's mostly because Tom Sawyer himself is so irritating: smarmy, self-important, and cushioned. Compared to Huck and Jim, he's a spoiled bourgeois with an elevated sense of entitlement. (Maybe he's intended to be annoying?) It seems very telling that Huck undergoes great moral terror to free Jim-- in his mind, it's burn in hell, or betray someone he loves, and he chooses hell. But Tom makes the decision because he knows it doesn't matter, and he wants to play make-believe.
The silliness of the plot itself during the end section is pretty great in many ways though.
September 12, 2024
Read this book before reading James by Percival Everett. “Classics” can still be haphazardly racist and the depictions can still do way more harm than good if not analyzed through a critical lens.
March 19, 2018
Personal Response
I thought this was a really good book because there was a lot of non stop action. You never really knew what was going to happen next. This was one of those book where you would start reading and not want to stop reading it.
Plot Summary
This book was about a young boy named Huckleberry Finn. He and his friend Tom Sawyer found a treasure and they put all the money they earned in the towns bank. Huck was adopted by a widow and was living the normal life. Huck's father found out that Huck had found the treasure and took Huck captive. His father was keeping him captive until he gave him the money for liquor. Huck dug a hole to get out of his father's cabin and made it look like he was murdered. Huck took a canoe and went out to a island. While he was on the island he found Jim, who was a slave that Huck new from the widow's house. Apparently he ran away because people were thinking he was the one who killed Huck. Huck told Jim how he faked his death after escaping his father's cabin. Huck and Jim decided they would just hop on there raft and start heading down river. After heading down river for a while they came across a steamship that was sinking. Huck decided to go aboard the steamship where he found thieves. Jim stayed back to keep a look out for anyone else. When they went to go back to there raft it was gone. They decided they would take the thieves boat instead. They hopped in and there was a bunch of loot that they had stolen. After awhile of boating they stumbled across their raft. A few days later Huck and Jim met two men who claimed that they were royalty. Huck just went along with it because Jim believed them. The two men decided they would scam people by performing a show of one of them just jumping around and hollering. The townspeople were not happy when they realized that they just got scammed. Before the towns people could catch them the two men slipped away and they started heading down river again. They stumbled upon a little boy who was going to deliver a message to a family. It turns out that the family had a lot of money in there house and the brothers of the man who died were supposed to receive but it was hidden. The two men decided they were going to act like the brothers and steal the money for themselves. Huck didn't let that happen and put the money somewhere safe where only the daughter knew where it was. Huck ran back to the raft only to find that Jim had gone missing. He traveled to the next town and found out where Jim was. He went to the place where Jim was and the family thought he was his best friend Tom Sawyer. Huck decided to act like Tom so he could rescue Jim. Huck decided to go into town, but on his way in he met Tom on the road. Tom was shocked to see Huck because he thought he was dead. Huck told Tom everything and told him he was playing as Tom. Tom decided to act like his own brother Sid. After a few days they came up with a plan and broke Jim out of his hut. The men that were guarding the hut started shooting and one of the bullets hit Tom. Huck, Jim, and Tom went out to an island to hide. Huck left to go find a doctor to remove the bullet. Huck got the doctor but the doctor said he didn't trust the canoe with two people so he would go by himself. The doctor was gone for a couple days and Huck went back to the house to sleep. A couple days later the doctor came back and Jim was in shackles. Tom was okay just tired. Jim got caught because the doctor needed help so he helped him The doctor brought him back then they tied him up. When Tom woke up he started talking about how him and Huck broke Jim out and told the whole story. They found out that Huck wasn't Tom and Tom wasn't Sid. Tom told them who he was and who Huck was. So Huck went back to his old town.
Characterization
Huck started as a young boy who didn't want to live the normal life. He didn't want to wear fancy clothes or have proper manners. He just wanted to live how he wanted to. In dirty clothes and not a care in the world. He would sneak out to go hang out with his friends at night. When he was captive he used his head on how to escape. After he got out he decided to fake his death so he could live how he wanted to. He meet one of his friends and they had a big adventure on the river and he was starting to mature. Then after he had his big adventure he decided he would give the normal life another try.
Recommendation
I would recommend this book to kids who like adventure and exploration. This would be a good book for middle school and high schoolers because its long and has a good story line. This is also a good book if you like some pictures while you read.
I thought this was a really good book because there was a lot of non stop action. You never really knew what was going to happen next. This was one of those book where you would start reading and not want to stop reading it.
Plot Summary
This book was about a young boy named Huckleberry Finn. He and his friend Tom Sawyer found a treasure and they put all the money they earned in the towns bank. Huck was adopted by a widow and was living the normal life. Huck's father found out that Huck had found the treasure and took Huck captive. His father was keeping him captive until he gave him the money for liquor. Huck dug a hole to get out of his father's cabin and made it look like he was murdered. Huck took a canoe and went out to a island. While he was on the island he found Jim, who was a slave that Huck new from the widow's house. Apparently he ran away because people were thinking he was the one who killed Huck. Huck told Jim how he faked his death after escaping his father's cabin. Huck and Jim decided they would just hop on there raft and start heading down river. After heading down river for a while they came across a steamship that was sinking. Huck decided to go aboard the steamship where he found thieves. Jim stayed back to keep a look out for anyone else. When they went to go back to there raft it was gone. They decided they would take the thieves boat instead. They hopped in and there was a bunch of loot that they had stolen. After awhile of boating they stumbled across their raft. A few days later Huck and Jim met two men who claimed that they were royalty. Huck just went along with it because Jim believed them. The two men decided they would scam people by performing a show of one of them just jumping around and hollering. The townspeople were not happy when they realized that they just got scammed. Before the towns people could catch them the two men slipped away and they started heading down river again. They stumbled upon a little boy who was going to deliver a message to a family. It turns out that the family had a lot of money in there house and the brothers of the man who died were supposed to receive but it was hidden. The two men decided they were going to act like the brothers and steal the money for themselves. Huck didn't let that happen and put the money somewhere safe where only the daughter knew where it was. Huck ran back to the raft only to find that Jim had gone missing. He traveled to the next town and found out where Jim was. He went to the place where Jim was and the family thought he was his best friend Tom Sawyer. Huck decided to act like Tom so he could rescue Jim. Huck decided to go into town, but on his way in he met Tom on the road. Tom was shocked to see Huck because he thought he was dead. Huck told Tom everything and told him he was playing as Tom. Tom decided to act like his own brother Sid. After a few days they came up with a plan and broke Jim out of his hut. The men that were guarding the hut started shooting and one of the bullets hit Tom. Huck, Jim, and Tom went out to an island to hide. Huck left to go find a doctor to remove the bullet. Huck got the doctor but the doctor said he didn't trust the canoe with two people so he would go by himself. The doctor was gone for a couple days and Huck went back to the house to sleep. A couple days later the doctor came back and Jim was in shackles. Tom was okay just tired. Jim got caught because the doctor needed help so he helped him The doctor brought him back then they tied him up. When Tom woke up he started talking about how him and Huck broke Jim out and told the whole story. They found out that Huck wasn't Tom and Tom wasn't Sid. Tom told them who he was and who Huck was. So Huck went back to his old town.
Characterization
Huck started as a young boy who didn't want to live the normal life. He didn't want to wear fancy clothes or have proper manners. He just wanted to live how he wanted to. In dirty clothes and not a care in the world. He would sneak out to go hang out with his friends at night. When he was captive he used his head on how to escape. After he got out he decided to fake his death so he could live how he wanted to. He meet one of his friends and they had a big adventure on the river and he was starting to mature. Then after he had his big adventure he decided he would give the normal life another try.
Recommendation
I would recommend this book to kids who like adventure and exploration. This would be a good book for middle school and high schoolers because its long and has a good story line. This is also a good book if you like some pictures while you read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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May 29, 2018Personal response:
I enjoyed reading this book. It took the reader on an adventure that was interesting. The book was a short enough book to fit all the details and let me understand it. I would read the real book to understand more of the story better.
Summary:
Huckleberry Finn, who lives in a small town near the Mississippi, who is always looking for an adventure, finds it. With his new wealth from one of his past experiences, he has a lot of people trying to get the money. So, when his greedy, selfish dad comes around and decides to take the money, Huck escapes from him. Then he finds a runaway slave named Jim on an island that Jim is hiding on. They have to keep moving, or someone will discover Huck and Jim, and everyone thinks Huckleberry is dead. Then they float down the Mississippi. Then the two sailors meet two strange men the claim to be a King and a Duke, so Huck and Jim lay along. The King and Duke go from town to town stealing money. Then on one stop, they stop by a wealthy house. The owner who recently died left a lot of money to his brothers. The King and Duke act as if they were the brothers and got the money and stay awhile. A day later the real brothers come in and tell them they are the real brother. They bring their ID to prove it, and the King and Duke are thieves. Then the runaway slave is captured. Huck goes to the house where Jim is at and its actually his excellent friend Tom Sawyers grandparents, and Tom happens to be getting there. Tom comes up with an elaborate plan to set Jim free. They dig a tunnel to rescue him and Jim breaks free. Then they escape, and Huck goes to a town to confess he's alive to keep Jim safe. Then he does, and his father goes to jail.
Recommendation:
I would recommend this book to 7th grade and up. This would be enjoyed by older kids reading to younger kids. I liked this book because it was short and comprehensible.
I enjoyed reading this book. It took the reader on an adventure that was interesting. The book was a short enough book to fit all the details and let me understand it. I would read the real book to understand more of the story better.
Summary:
Huckleberry Finn, who lives in a small town near the Mississippi, who is always looking for an adventure, finds it. With his new wealth from one of his past experiences, he has a lot of people trying to get the money. So, when his greedy, selfish dad comes around and decides to take the money, Huck escapes from him. Then he finds a runaway slave named Jim on an island that Jim is hiding on. They have to keep moving, or someone will discover Huck and Jim, and everyone thinks Huckleberry is dead. Then they float down the Mississippi. Then the two sailors meet two strange men the claim to be a King and a Duke, so Huck and Jim lay along. The King and Duke go from town to town stealing money. Then on one stop, they stop by a wealthy house. The owner who recently died left a lot of money to his brothers. The King and Duke act as if they were the brothers and got the money and stay awhile. A day later the real brothers come in and tell them they are the real brother. They bring their ID to prove it, and the King and Duke are thieves. Then the runaway slave is captured. Huck goes to the house where Jim is at and its actually his excellent friend Tom Sawyers grandparents, and Tom happens to be getting there. Tom comes up with an elaborate plan to set Jim free. They dig a tunnel to rescue him and Jim breaks free. Then they escape, and Huck goes to a town to confess he's alive to keep Jim safe. Then he does, and his father goes to jail.
Recommendation:
I would recommend this book to 7th grade and up. This would be enjoyed by older kids reading to younger kids. I liked this book because it was short and comprehensible.
May 28, 2013
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was overall a very good book because throughout the book we see how Huck matures. Huck who lives outside of society do not live the same way as everyone else. This book tells about Huck traveling with Jim who is a run away slave. At first Huck does not treat Jim of upmost importance but towards the end they are like very best friends. Huck during the beginning of the book was immature and not self conscious because of the way he tries to act like Tom, a mischievous boy, Huck willingly follows him around. We see a big change in Huck after he escapes and goes on a adventure with Jim. In many cases, Huck is caught in a pinch trying to save Jim and also getting put of trouble. While on their adventure Huck meets many people who changes the way he views people. What I thought was the best part was when Huck is trying to save Jim who is caught for being a runaway slave. The family that catches him happens to be Tom's relatives farm and Tom comes to visit. Huck meets Tom on the way the the house and he tells Tom the whole story of their adventure. Huck explains that he is trying to free Jim who is now locked up. Tom knows that Mrs. Watson who died freed Jim decides to play a trick and joins Huck to free Jim without telling him the truth. Overall I think this is a good book where young readers would love to read.
January 3, 2024
70/100 (= 3.0/6) ≈ 3 Stars
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Similar thoughts to Tom Sawyer (abridged). A few funny episodes and some nice adventures, but ultimately not quite the values we want to instill in our Catholic youth.
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Similar thoughts to Tom Sawyer (abridged). A few funny episodes and some nice adventures, but ultimately not quite the values we want to instill in our Catholic youth.
March 14, 2016
The book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, takes place in St. Petersburg, Missouri, in about the year 1835. The main characters in the book are Huck Finn, Huck's Dad, Tom Sawyer, and Jim. The worst problem that Huck is facing is that his dad wants all of Huck's money.
I really liked this book because I always thought it would be kind of cool to live of the river. I can relate to this book because of my feelings. Another thing that I liked was that the author really used some good descriptive words. Making me feel as if I was there with them on there adventures.
Honestly I really liked the book overall, I didn't really think there was anything wrong with the book. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes adventures, in a story, and anyone that are just looking for a good book to read to pass their free time.
I really liked this book because I always thought it would be kind of cool to live of the river. I can relate to this book because of my feelings. Another thing that I liked was that the author really used some good descriptive words. Making me feel as if I was there with them on there adventures.
Honestly I really liked the book overall, I didn't really think there was anything wrong with the book. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes adventures, in a story, and anyone that are just looking for a good book to read to pass their free time.
June 2, 2015
The classic story continues...and what fun it is!
January 28, 2019
I love it
January 26, 2019
It took me about one week to finish it,,
and I like the story so much because it had so many chapters and pages.
and I like the story so much because it had so many chapters and pages.
March 25, 2022
I think these illustrated classics rewritten and abridged for kids is a great idea. This is the only one I had as a kid and I forgot how cool it was until I saw it again. The pictures are perfect, simple but they give the story life. I think the stories are stories kids enjoy but the dated old timey language is too much for a lot of adults nevermind kids so it being written into more modern english is helpful. Parts of the story I found more compelling than others. I remember enjoy Hucks escape and his life on the raft but kind of lose interest when the con artists get involved. I wasn't a big fan of Tom Sawyer and this is the only version of Huckleberry Finn I've ever read. It's interesting enough that I think I'll read the real version one day but I didn't enjoy it enough that I'm in a hurry.
March 1, 2020
This book was like listening to a long but (sometimes) interesting lecture. This book didn't get interesting until halfway through where it began to pick up. I enjoyed the dynamic between the slave Jim and Finn particularly at those seemingly bonding moments that they have a raft. The book was like reading into a time capsule as you see the moral dilemmas that were brought up then and still have an effect on us now. I didn't like to read how Finn treated Jim most the time, but I thought it was important to the story to show how things were at the time. I think this book was definitely well written and interesting for the time it was written in. I would rate it a four out of five but the ending left me a little confused so I rate it three and a half out of five.
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February 8, 2025I don’t want to actually give this book a rating because it’s an illustrated and condensed version of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn so I don’t feel like I can do so fairly. I decided to read this book after starting James by Percival Everett as I wanted to have a base understanding of the Huckleberry Finn story.
March 19, 2021
enjoyed reading this adapted version. it was an easy read with pictures in every two pages. it helped me get into reading this type of books after a long time. it made me want to go out and have adventures myself.
February 20, 2022
I really enjoyed this book. It was funny and the narration from Huck was just like that of a young boy's. Every chapter felt like a new adventure, and the book was a rollercoaster of adventures in a way that didn't confuse me much.
February 14, 2023
Not my cup of tea, i just dont like it. Tom Sawyer character is kinda annoying to me like why would he do something stupid just for the sake of adventure?
Maybe its because i read the adapted version so its different then the original. But i think this kind of novel its just not for me
Maybe its because i read the adapted version so its different then the original. But i think this kind of novel its just not for me
January 13, 2025
Some themes of drunkenness and slavery- but made for good discussion about those topics with my children. They loved the action in this book- we read it in a day because they didn't want me to put it down.
August 11, 2020
My son enjoys the illustrations that go along with the story. It's a nice way to introduce a child to some classics.
June 25, 2021
Nice reading with great drawings. Book is concise and attractive
February 9, 2022
The illustrations were great! And, this was one of those books where I actually re-read the story but just through the adapted version, I hope that everyone does the same!!!
September 28, 2022
4 stars from me, 3 stars from my six year old, who found all the schemes and capers hard to track.
November 8, 2022
Read this mini book as a child!
These mini books help me inspired me to read the complete versions!
These mini books help me inspired me to read the complete versions!
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March 7, 2023Difficult for ELL students to understand
July 16, 2024
Is a fun trip down memory lane. Had to read it after reading and enjoying JAMES. Loved the drawings. How different he was in that era compared to the present boys.
December 14, 2024
This adapted version of the classic by Mark Twain is just right for all readers interested in the story but not so much the verbiage of the original.
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January 5, 2025Read this before reading James.
January 23, 2025
Classic
February 23, 2025
Perfect way to refresh my memory of this book before reading James by Percival Everett.
August 20, 2025
Bennett and I enjoyed the book and Disney movie.
July 18, 2025
Representative of its time, this classic touches on the emotive topics of abuse, slavery and racism woven into a children's story of epic proportions. A great read!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews