Grade 5-7-Frankie (short for Francine) and Devin, champion goof-offs of Palmdale Middle School, are hiding out to avoid an English test on The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and accidentally lose the school library's prized Mark Twain autograph when it falls through a pair of old security "zapper gates." The two friends know from experience that these gates function as a magical conduit into the plot of any book that gets between them. To recover the signature, they follow it through the gates and find themselves hiding in Aunt Polly's closet with Tom himself. Tom cons them into participating in the famous whitewashing episode, leading Devin to conclude admiringly that Tom is a role model for slackers. Hoping to pick up some tips, the modern friends follow him and Huck Finn through their major adventures. They witness the graveyard murder, run away to the pirate island, attend the fictional duo's funeral, testify at the murder trial, and help rescue Tom and Becky from the cave. In the process, they develop respect for Twain's writing-and, incidentally, for reading in general. Snappy, wisecracking 21st-century dialogue contrasts with the 19th-century speech, which is often drawn almost word for word from the original classic. Reminiscent of Mary Pope Osborne's "Magic Tree House" series (Random), but for an older audience, this affectionate if somewhat irreverent homage would probably win a chuckle from Twain himself.
Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL
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