Lawson channels her inner Mark Twain (especially in the use of colloquial speech) in this debut novel featuring a feisty Becky Thatcher. Lawson's Becky comes with a rich backstory: she is new to town, grieving the recent death of her adventurous brother Jon, and equally comfortable lying to her parents or procuring cemetery dirt after midnight. Conversely, Lawson's Tom Sawyer spends his time tattling on Becky, eschewing adventures because they might lead to trouble, and hanging out with riverboat pilot Samuel Clemens, who has rented a room at Aunt Polly's. After Widow Douglas is wrongly accused of grave robbing, Becky resolves to clear her name and in the process brings to justice criminals who are wanted for robbery and murder. While Twain purists may object to revisions to these iconic characters, Lawson cleverly explains the discrepancy emens promises to fictionalize the stories Becky tells him. Give this one to fans of Gloria Whelan's The Wanigan (2002).

Becky Thatcher is determined to remember her deceased brother by having the adventures he should have had. She finds that Tom Sawyer is a tattletale, but his brother, Sid, is a kindred spirit; their exploits unfold with mischief and fun. Lawson, with her storyteller's ear for language, is respectful of Twain's classic as she tells alternate stories of St. Petersburg, Missouri.

Here's a different Becky Thatcher: She spews spitballs, prefers overalls to dresses, takes dares from boys and tracks down criminals. In this debut novel, Becky's voice, full of Southern expressions and superstitions, describes events that occur in her new hometown of St. Petersburg, Mo., during the time that steamboat captain and aspiring writer Sam Clemens is boarding with Tom Sawyer and Aunt Polly. As Becky digs up a beetle to avenge a cruel insult to her best friend, she muses: "I didn't know why they were called gull beetles, but I reckoned it had something to do with the high-pitched shriek Ruth Bumpner would let out when she found one buried in her egg salad sometime in the next week or so." Even as Becky's adventures reveal bits of plot and characters that will later be found in Mark Twain's writing, readers also enter Becky's personal world, which includes the different ways she and her parents are grieving her beloved brother's death. The novel's predominantly light tone and narrative perspective make the flatness of the villains forgivable—there's a sadistic schoolteacher, a snobbish family and two stupid smugglers—while Becky and her many allies are all realistically well-rounded. Beneath the lively story is a subtext that both primes readers for reading Mark Twain and responds to the question of where writers find inspiration. Delightful. (Historical fiction. 8-12)

Lawson makes a delightfully clever debut with what at first seems to be a feminist spin on The Adventures of Tom Sawyer: What if Becky Thatcher were the troublemaker and adventurer, and Tom a goody-goody tattletale? But the presence of a character named Sam Clemens, -the story man,- as Becky dubs him, taking constant notes, adds a deeper metafictional layer to the story. Lawson delivers an entertaining tale, but also writes movingly about grief. Becky is struggling with the death of her older brother, Jon, a year earlier, and with the simultaneous loss of her mother, now a silent mourning shadow, incapable of showing love for Becky. There is plenty of small-town adventure involving escaped thieves, graveyard escapades, and a possible witch. Trained by Jon, brave Becky is an authentic tomboy who prides herself on her spitting and ear-flicking, as well as an open-hearted and loyal friend, and her final conversation with Clemens in the closing pages makes Lawson-s real premise deliciously clear. A rewarding read on many levels. Ages 8-12. Agent: Tina Wexler, ICM. (July)

Gr 4-6 As a more politically correct retelling of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer , Lawson's novel turns several ideas in Mark Twain's original story on their heads. Tom the tattletale lurks in the backdrop of 1860 St. Petersburg, MO, but the focus is on the adventures that Becky plans with her friend Amy Lawrence. While Becky has found comfort in getting into the mischief that her recently deceased brother will miss, her mother neglects Becky completely by shutting herself away. Meanwhile, a man named Sam Clemens is staying with Becky's friend Sid Sawyer. All of the pieces are in place, employing the traditional characters and setting. Stylized language and unfamiliar vocabulary may prove a barrier to some readers, and a twist ending, though clever, fails to live up to its potential. Nevertheless, readers not familiar with Twain's work will find an enjoyable adventure story with glimmers of mystery. Fans of historical fiction will enjoy the charming heroine and fitting affirmations of family, friendship, and remembrance. Erin Reilly-Sanders, Ohio State University, Columbus