Barbara, Kerley. 2010. The Extraordinary Life of Mark Twain (According to Susy). Ill. by Edwin Fotheringham. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 9780545125086
Brief plot summary:
It is apparent that Mark Twain was completely captivated by Susy, his thirteen year old daughter and biographer. Secretly, Susy began her journal as a way to "set the record straight" about her father; to show how he was more than the famous Mark Twain, to show he was Papa with "fine qualities" and "not so fine qualities." In fact, it was Twain who described Susy as "a frank biographer and an honest one; she used no sandpaper on me." This book is enjoyable nonfiction that read likes fiction and will give reader's an insider's look into one of America's favorite authors.
Critical analysis:
Barbara Kerley uses ample excerpts from Susy's journal (housed in the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections at the University of Virginia Library) incorporated throughout the book as mini inserts along with quotes Twain fully supported by cited sources and a timeline at the end of the book. The font also changes to reflect direct quotes from Susy and Twain, a nice feature that add character to the text. Although this text can be read from cover to cover, it is organized in such a way that it can be randomly open to learn an interesting detail about Twain. There is no index or table of contents, but the visual access features are striking! Illustrator Edwin Fotheringham fills the page with curlicues, color and character incorporating details from the text into the illustrations. In the author's note, Kerley notes that she'd been "considering writing about Twain for years when in 2007 [she] stumbled across in interesting historical footnote: ...Susy wrote a biography on him." And the writing clearly reflects the author's genuine interest in Susy and Twain. She also includes tips for writing your own biography using Susy's journal as a guide.
Review excerpt(s):
Kerley and Fotheringham again craft a masterfully perceptive and largely visual biography, this time about the iconic 19th-century American writer. ... Kerley uses Susy's manuscript and snippets of wisdom and mirth from Twain's copious oeuvre as fodder for her story. ...The text flawlessly segues into Susy's carefully recorded, sometimes misspelled, details of his character, intimate life, and work routine during his most prolific years....A delightful primer on researching and writing biographies, and a joy to peruse.
-School Library Journal, starred review
Kerley and Fotheringham (What to Do About Alice?) pair up again to offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse of another famous family…. Kerley contextualizes the teenager's admiring musings with vivid familial backdrops…. Adding dynamic flair...are curlicues representing words, which emanate wildly from pen tips, pages, and mouths. Author notes about Susy and her father, a time line of Twain's life, and tips for writing an "extraordinary biography" complete this accessible and inventive vision of an American legend.
-Publishers Weekly, starred review
Several Awards including:
- 2010 CYBILS Nonfiction Picture Book Award
- Best Children’s Books 2010 -- Publishers Weekly
- Best Books 2010 -- School Library Journal
- Best Books for Children and Teens 2010 -- Kirkus Reviews
- Best of 2010: Books for Young Readers -- Washington Post
- NCTE Orbis Pictus Recommended Book
- Best Children’s Books of the Year -- Bank Street College of Education
- Texas Bluebonnet Award nominee
Connections:
- Write a biography using Kerley's tips
- An introduction or supplement material for a unit on any of Twain's work
- Use the author's note as a means to begin research - she had an interest and investigated it, which resulted in this book.
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