This is such a great historical fiction book that parallels the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from a girls point of view. It was fascinating. The historical research the author did is amazing. The story is packed full of all sorts of adventures and relationships. It portrays life in the 1840's in incredible detail - the good and the bad.
The author did a great job showing how the adults make all the decisions and the children / teens must just go along with it. They are in many ways, powerless to change the course of their life. There were so many details of life and society that I never knew about from that time period. It was interesting and disturbing.
This is a book well worth reading. It's time a girl gets to tell her story.
Enjoy!

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed Adventures of Mary Jane. It was a fast paced story. I loved the supporting characters especially Mrs. Captain and Rooster. I think all characters were well developed and interesting. I learned a lot about the time period and relations between different groups of people.. I love a good author's note at the end explaining more about the story. I loved the found family. I will purchase this for our high school library.

Mary Jane Guild may not have captured all readers' attention in The Adventures of Huck Finn, but reimagined through Hope Jahren's eyes, she becomes a realistic protagonist who wrestles with fear, insecurity, and self-doubt and comes out stronger and more confident. Jahren's retelling includes the flavor and voice of Twain with the modern perspective today's readers expect. While the story is rich in detail, the pacing drags at times, making it feel longer than it is, but the story's plot and characterization make it a strong addition to a MG or YA reading shelf.
Mary Jane has lived a sheltered life moving between the trading post and Fort Snelling with her mother and her morfar, a grandfather whose life as a trapper, trader, and voyageur landed her family in the northern stretches of the Mississippi River. When her aunt writes of a vague trouble at Fort Edwards, far south on the Mississippi where she is stationed with her husband and daughters, Mary Jane's mother decrees that she will travel alone to help her aunt. When she arrives, after facing theft, scammings, and incredible kindness, she finds her uncle with a serious brain injury, her aunt and cousins trying to make do with very little, and herself the only problem-solver in sight. When her aunt and uncle both pass away, the local authorities say the cousins must go to their father's brother even further south, and Mary Jane claims to be an older sister to be allowed to stay with them. In Greenville, they find their uncle a cruel and despicable slave owner who lavishes them with gifts but mistreats them through threats and inappropriate advances. When he dies, Mary Jane sees her chance to free herself and the girls from anyone's control, if she can plan their escape well and shut down the thumping of her heart whenever she sees a blue-eyes-pony-tail boy.
Mary Jane is a believable and likable character who shows a true blend of human characteristics that YA readers will recognize. She wants freedom and responsibility but craves the nostalgic safety of knowing Ma or Morfar will help. She is proud of herself but critical of every stumble she makes. As she perseveres, she finds she is stronger than she thought and wiser than she knew. The themes of adaptability, resilience, and finding your own path are clear and well developed. While it would be mainly appropriate for MG readers, the scenes with Uncle Peter Wilks would need preparation and support for younger readers, and some families may prefer not to address those topics with their children. For YA readers, I would prepare students for the topics of enslavement and treatment of enslaved persons before reaching the scenes that feature Sugar, Candy, or the movement of the enslaved people Mary Jane sees from the Galenian. I would also work with readers to identify the signs and signals of Peter Wilks' choices before the scenes when readers see his vile actions with Susan. This novel would make an excellent companion read alongside The Adventures of Huck Finn, showing events from different timelines and perspectives.