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Children's reading lists

17 must-have historical fiction books for kids

Three Stories By Mark Twain The McWilliamses And The Burglar

Mark Twain's real name was Sam Clemens, and he was born in 1835 in a small town on the Mississippi, one of seven children. He smoked cigars at the age of eight, and aged nine he stowed away on a steamboat. He left school at 11 and worked at a grocery store, a bookstore, a blacksmith's and a newspaper, where he was allowed to write his own stories (not all of them true). He then worked on a steamboat, where he got the name 'Mark Twain' (from the call given by the boat's pilot when their boat is in safe waters). Eventually he turned to journalism again, travelled round the world, and began writing books which became very popular. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are his most famous novels. He poured the money he earned from writing into new business ventures and crazy inventions, such as a clamp to stop babies throwing off their bed covers, a new boardgame, and a hand grenade full of extinguishing liquid to throw on a fire. With his shock of white hair and trademark white suit Mark Twain became the most famous American writer in the world. He died in 1910.

Three of Mark Twain’s classic short stories, originally broadcast in the ‘Afternoon Reading’ slot on BBC Radio 4 from 9 - 11 November 2010, to accompany the 'Autobiography of Mark Twain' (aired on ‘Book of the Week'). Read by Stuart Milligan.  Twain’s classic short stories, with their familiar trademarks of high farce and droll insight, bring us eccentric burglars, cossetted children, and a visitor to a theme park obsessed with the making of mocassins. And also torrents of water...  ‘The McWilliamses and The Burglar Alarm’: Surely their home would be better off with a state of the art security device - if it works, that is...  ‘The Experience of the McWilliamses with Membranous Croup’: A strange fever is afflicting the neighbourhood, just as little Penelope begins to cough. Though the reason is hardly clear cut...  ‘Niagara’: Hooray, it's a day trip to those intrepid Falls, to tramp exciting trails and meet some friendly Red Indians. But the best laid plans...  Read by Stuart Milligan and produced by Duncan Minshull.

Mark Twain's The McWilliamses And The Burglar Alarm (BBC Radio)

The first of three broadcasts of Mark Twain’s classic short stories featuring the McWilliamses, with his familiar trademarks of high farce and droll insight.

In ‘The McWilliamses and The Burglar Alarm’ it becomes apparent that their home would be better off with a state of the art security device - if it works, that is...  Read by Stuart Milligan and produced by Duncan Minshull. Originally broadcast in the ‘Afternoon Reading’ slot on BBC Radio 4 on 9 November 2010, to accompany the 'Autobiography of Mark Twain' (aired on ‘Book of the Week').

Mark Twain's The Experience Of The McWilliamses With Membranous Croup

The second of three broadcasts of Mark Twain’s classic short stories featuring the McWilliamses, with his familiar trademarks of high farce and droll insight.

In ‘The Experience of the McWilliamses with Membranous Croup’, a strange fever is afflicting the neighbourhood just as little Penelope begins to cough. Though the reason is hardly clear cut...   Read by Stuart Milligan and produced by Duncan Minshull. Originally broadcast in the ‘Afternoon Reading’ slot on BBC Radio 4 on 10 November 2010, to accompany the 'Autobiography of Mark Twain' (aired on ‘Book of the Week').

Mark Twain's Niagara (BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Reading)

The last of three broadcasts of Mark Twain’s classic short stories featuring the McWilliamses, with his familiar trademarks of high farce and droll insight.

In ‘Niagara’, the McWilliamses plan a day trip to those intrepid Falls to tramp exciting trails and meet some friendly Red Indians. But the best laid plans...   Read by Stuart Milligan and produced by Duncan Minshull. Originally broadcast in the ‘Afternoon Reading’ slot on BBC Radio 4 on 9 November 2010, to accompany the 'Autobiography of Mark Twain' (aired on ‘Book of the Week').

Mark Twain

Full Cast

Jason Isaacs

Kelsey Grammer

Tom Goodman-Hill

Inika Leigh Wright

Trevor White

Ed Bishop

Jon Glover

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Million Pound Bank Note & More

BBC radio productions of Mark Twain's very best novels and short stories - plus bonus material 
 
Mark Twain (real name Samuel Langhorne Clemens), was one of the foremost writers and humorists to come out of the United States. Hailed by William Faulkner as 'the father of American literature', he is renowned worldwide for his classic novels The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This wide-ranging collection comprises dramatisations and readings of a host of his much-loved stories, from well-known works to less familiar gems. 
 
The adaptations include Tony Award-winning Bryony Lavery's rhythmic reworking of The Million Pound Bank Note; The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, dramatised by award-winning playwright Marcy Kahan; and The Diary of Adam and Eve, Twain's affectionate satire about the battle of the sexes. They are performed by full casts including Trevor White, Mark Caven, Christopher Jacot, Inika Leigh Wright and Tom Goodman-Hill. 
 
Among the readings are an abridged version of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, in which Ed Bishop brings Tom's escapades to colourful life; the little-known yarn The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County (read by Jon Glover) telling the tall tale of an inveterate gambler and a talented amphibian; and The Prince and the Pauper (read by Jason Isaacs), an abridgement of Twain's historical fantasy about two identical boys born on the same day - one rich, the other poor. And in Mark Twain Stories, Frasier star Kelsey Grammer reads five of the great author's finest short stories. 
Also included is Kaleidoscope Feature: The Further Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, charting the troubled 100-year history of Twain's controversial novel, which has gone from being banned to being beloved - and back again. 
 
NB: Contains language that listeners may find offensive 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by Mark Twain. First published 1867 (The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County), 1868 (Cannibalism in the Cars), 1870 (The Facts in the Case of the Great Beef Contract, A Ghost Story), 1875 (The Experience of the McWilliamses with Membranous Croup, Niagara), 1876 (The Adventures of Tom Sawyer), 1881 (The Prince and the Pauper), 1884 (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn), 1893 (The Million Pound Bank Note), 1931 (The Private Life of Adam and Eve) 
 
The Million Pound Bank Note 
Dramatised by Bryony Lavery. Produced by Pauline Harris and Sharon Sephton 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 31 December 2011 
 
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 
Abridged by Brian Miller. Read by Ed Bishop. First broadcast BBC Radio 5, 20-31 May 1991 
 
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 
Dramatised by Marcy Kahan. Directed by Ned Chaillet. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 15-29 December 2002 
 
The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County 
Read by Jon Glover. Produced by Mitch Raper. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 4 September 1978 
 
The Diary of Adam and Eve 
Dramatised by Martin Glynn. Produced by Jenny Stephens. Directed by Peter Leslie Wild 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 20 March 2005 
 
The Prince and the Pauper 
Read by Jason Isaacs. First broadcast BBC Radio 7, 17 October 2009 
 
Mark Twain Stories: The Facts in the Great Beef Contract, A Day at Niagara, Cannibalism in the Cars, A Ghost Story and Experiences of the MacWilliamses 
Read by Kelsey Grammar. Abridged and produced by Duncan Minshull. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 15-19 September 1997 
 
Kaleidoscope Feature: The Further Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 
Produced by Paul Quinn. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 25 May 1996 
 
©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Mark Twain

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17 must-have historical fiction books for kids

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