In the 1840s, 14-year-old Mary Jane lives on a trading post in the Minnesota Territory. A letter from Ma’s sister asking for a “helping hand” provides the impetus for Mary Jane (white) to head south. Observant, forthright Mary Jane proves to be capable and open-hearted, if sometimes naïve on her journey. She helps her aunt’s family, and when tragedy strikes, accompanies her now-orphaned teen cousins when they’re sent by a judge to another uncle farther south. That uncle turns out to be a slaveholder and abuser. Mary Jane plots to secure her cousins’ safety, thwarting two con men—including the young, handsome Huck Finn—in the process. This adventure starring a minor character from Huckleberry Finn (and offering satisfying parallels and references for readers familiar with Huck) shines with exemplary characterizations and plotting. Mary Jane is strong, smart, kind, and resilient; she’s also flawed and learning from her experiences. Generous, gender-amorphous Mrs. Captain, who pilots a riverboat and takes Mary Jane under her wing; Mary Jane’s schooling in white saviorism when she hopes to free Candy and Sugar, the enslaved mother and daughter at her uncle’s; and demeaning laws and attitudes that contradict women’s obvious capabilities and responsibilities are examples of many ways the novel deftly blends eye-opening historical authenticity with 21st-century sensibility, with Mary Jane admirable through both lenses. A fascinating author’s note details the exhaustive research that went into this rousing tale. (Age 11 and older)

The bestselling, award-winning author of Lab Girl reimagines the world Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the point of view of a smart and determined young woman: Mary Jane, the red-headed spark who stole Huck’s heart.

“A journey not just along the Mississippi but to the center of the human heart.”—Jennifer Finney Boylan, author of She's Not There and co-author of Mad Honey

A COSMOPOLITAN BEST YOUNG ADULT BOOK OF THE YEAR • A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

Meet Mary Jane Guild. She’s on a dangerous and unpredictable adventure down the Mississippi River—and she’ll steal Huck Finn’s heart along the way.

In his classic work Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain briefly introduces "Mary Jane, the red-headed one." In no time Mary Jane becomes the girl Huck thinks about "a many and a many million times." Now author Hope Jahren has created for Mary Jane a life as vivid and compelling as Huck's.

These pages will show you the real Mary Jane. A girl on her own dangerous, unpredictable journey down the Mississippi River in pre-Civil War America. Equipped with an uncanny ability for mathematics, a talent for sewing, and a bale of beaver skins, Mary Jane navigates deadly illnesses, angry mobs, treacherous landowners, outright thieves and swindlers, and more than a thousand miles of muddy water. What’s more, she thrives in the face of these challenges, thanks to support from strangers who become friends. Traveling solo requires Mary Jane to grow up fast, but it ultimately leads her to a new resilience, a love of adventure, deep and enduring sisterhood, and a blue-eyed, ponytailed boy she can’t stop thinking about.

Jahren offers a wealth of layered characters and deeply researched, authentic details of changing times in the North and South. Using the language and style of Twain and shifting the point of view, she explores timeless themes of duty, family, romance, and betrayal, with grit and courage at the core.