Mark Twain

Hello there! My name is Samuel Langhorne Clemens, but you probably know me by my other name, Mark Twain. I was born a long, long time ago, on November 30th, 1835. I grew up in a small town called Hannibal in Missouri, right on the edge of the giant Mississippi River. I loved watching the big, beautiful steamboats paddle up and down the water. The river was my playground and my favorite place in the whole world.

When I grew up, I decided to do the most exciting job I could imagine: I became a steamboat pilot! Around the year 1857, I learned how to steer those giant boats through the winding Mississippi River. It was the best job ever. In fact, that's where I got my special name. When the water was deep enough for the boat to pass safely, the crew would shout 'Mark Twain!' I liked the sound of it so much that I decided to use it as my writing name.

After my time on the river, I started writing. At first, I wrote funny stories for newspapers. People really seemed to like them! In 1865, I wrote a very silly story called 'The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,' and it made people all over the country laugh. I discovered that I loved telling tales that could make people smile and think. I knew then that I wanted to be a writer for the rest of my life.

I decided to write books about the things I knew best: growing up and having adventures on the Mississippi River. In 1876, I wrote a book called 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer' about a mischievous boy who was always getting into fun trouble. A few years later, in 1884, I wrote about his best friend in a book called 'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.' I filled my books with the kinds of adventures I dreamed about as a kid.

I traveled the world and wrote many stories throughout my life. I lived to be 74 years old, passing away in 1910. Even though I'm gone, my stories are still here. Kids and grown-ups all over the world still read about Tom and Huck's adventures on the river, and I hope my stories continue to make people laugh for many, many years to come.