Every time I went looking for a new book to read The Ballad of Huck and Miguel showed up on my radar. I admit prejudice against this book. I was prepared to start reading and close the book within 50 pages. But then I got involved with the “the full true story of how ….. Huck went on the run from the ‘thorities with a real live illegal Mexigrant”. And what a run it was. I was swept up in the calamities which befell nine-year-old Huckleberry Finn including being “almost shot by a Man with a donkeytail, almost getting killed by a gangster, making a deal with a Rapscallion, getting mixed up in a rebelution, and running always running from his Pap.

Written in the vernacular of an uneducated boy from St. Petersburg, Missouri, within a few pages it felt perfect. Huck is wise beyond his nine years and his perception of the people he meets serve him well. He is able to discern truth from “hocus” and has “too much of a conscience” to outright steal only allowing himself to borrow what he needs from time to time. He is the kid you want to have a conversation with and hear his “take” on the world and its inhabitants.

Totally entertaining, exceptionally insightful, I could not put this down and finished it in one sitting.

Thank you NetGalley and Redtail Press for a copy ( )

I received a free e-copy of this book and have chosen to write an honest and unbiased review. I have no personal affiliation with the author. Tim DeRoche updates Huckleberry Finn’s adventures to the present day. Huck travels from Missouri to Los Angeles for an adventure along the LA River. ‘The Ballad of Huck & Miguel’ is well written and follows the same language and tone with a similar plot as the classic that was written by Samuel Clemens in the mid 1800s. The characters are similar as well as many of the names. The linocut illustrations are excellent and really add to the story. Huck has an adventure with an illegal Mexican immigrant. There is a serious side to the story and also a good sprinkling of humor. This was a fun and enjoyable read. I look forward to reading more from Tim and Daniel in the future. ( )