In an unforgettable storytelling voice, rich with spirited language and wit, author Sid Fleischman brings the literary identity of Mark Twain to life. Starting with his subject’s humble beginnings as Samuel Clemens in small-town Missouri, Fleischman highlights Twain’s critical childhood and adolescent experiences while providing an accessible historical backdrop for the author’s young life and times. As the subtitle suggests, this handsomely produced biography spotlights the pivotal years in which the impish and adventurous Sam Clemens becomes Mark Twain on page and in person. Colorful chapters such as “The Buffalo That Climbed a Tree,” “Thieves, Murderers, and Desperadoes,” and “The Great Holdup” chronicle the author’s life-changing experiences in Utah and California. A follow-up on his post-Wild West years, including his marriage and family and life of fame, conclude the textual portrait of a man famous for his quips, short stories, and novels. Historical photos and illustrations are placed throughout, and the book includes extensive references, a timeline, and “A Mark Twain Sampler” for readers less familiar with his work. (Ages 10–14)

"Mark Twain was born fully grown, with a cheap cigar clamped between his teeth." So begins Sid Fleischman's ramble-scramble biography of the great American author and wit, who started life in a Missouri village as a barefoot boy named Samuel Clemens.

Abandoning a career as a young steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River, Sam took a bumpy stagecoach to the Far West. In the gold and silver fields, he expected to get rich quick. Instead, he got poor fast, digging in the wrong places. His stint as a sagebrush newspaperman led to a duel with pistols. Had he not survived, the world would never have heard of Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn—or red-headed Mark Twain.

Samuel Clemens adopted his pen name in a hotel room in San Francisco and promptly made a jumping frog (and himself) famous. His celebrated novels followed at a leisurely pace; his quips at jet speed. "Don't let schooling interfere with your education," he wrote.

Here, in high style, is the story of a wisecracking adventurer who came of age in the untamed West; an ink-stained rebel who surprised himself by becoming the most famous American of his time. Bountifully illustrated.