Mark Twain and the Queens of the Mississippi

By Cheryl Harness

Book Overview

STE-E-E-E-AMBOAT'S A'COMIN' As a boy, Samuel Clemens loved it when a steamboat traveled up or down the Mississippi River to his town of Hannibal, Missouri. He'd run to the riverbank and stare longingly at the boats, wishing he could be one of the lucky passengers or crew. As a young man, Clemens made his dream come true by working his way up to steamboat pilot. When the Civil War temporarily stopped the steamboats, Sam traveled west, where he began writing funny stories for newspapers. He signed one story Mark Twain, a river term meaning two fathoms deep. It was a name he would eventually make famous through his books, the most popular of which were based on his boyhood days on the banks of the Mississippi.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0689855494
• ISBN13: 9780689855498
• Release Date: March 2003
• Publisher: Aladdin
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 0.2" x 10.1"
• Age Range: 6 to 10 years
• Grade Range: Grades 1 to 5

Customer Reviews

Great Teaching Tool

We enjoyed the way this book took us on a journey through time. "Mark Twain and the Queens of the Mississippi" carried us from the village of Cahokia to our modern time. We were intrigued by the historical details given in the form of graphs, charts, diagrams, and factual information. Harness vividly outlined the advances in our technology. We liked the realistic descriptions given in the book. The detailed descriptions did tend to slow down the reader's attention at times. It was rather emotional reading about tragedies that have happened in our countries history. These events may be disturbing to some readers. The pictures in the book were realistic, artistic, breathtaking, disturbing, and colorful. The artwork contributed powerful meaning to the story. The illustrations helped readers understand the details and language of the story. We recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about the Mississippi River, steamboats, or Mark Twain. Mrs. Scott's 7th period sixth grade reading class rates this book with 4 stars. Please read this book and enjoy the wonderful illustrations.