The Ballad of Huck & Miguel

by Daniel Gonzalez (Illustrator), Tim DeRoche

Overview

*** An American classic becomes a modern adventure ***

In this retelling of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Tim DeRoche dares to imagine that Huck Finn is alive today. Chased by his vengeful and psychotic father, Pap, Huck escapes down the concrete gash that is the Los Angeles River with his friend Miguel, an illegal immigrant who has been falsely accused of murder. Riding the dangerous waters of a rainstorm, the two fugitives meet a strange cast of Angelenos both animal and human who live down by the river. And they learn the true value of love and loyalty. The Ballad of Huck and Miguel is not only a thrilling urban adventure, but also an inspired tribute to one of the most beloved novels ever written.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940162869405
Publisher:	Redtail Press
Publication date:	02/18/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	9 MB

About the Author

Born and raised in Milwaukee, Tim DeRoche emigrated to California to attend Pomona College, where he studied English literature.

His first book The Ballad of Huck & Miguel—a retelling of Huck Finn set on the Los Angeles River—was an Amazon bestseller. His second book A Fine Line: How Most American Kids Are Kept Out of the Best Public Schools publishes on May 17, 2020, the 66th anniversary of the Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Board of Education.

Tim has optioned horror screenplays to Maverick Films (Twilight trilogy) and Haxan Films (Blair Witch). He has served as executive producer and writer of the children’s science series Grandpa’s Garage, produced by Turner. He has also written and directed short films appearing in film festivals in California, Kentucky, and Connecticut. A graduate of the PBS Producers Academy at WGBH in Boston, he also holds a certificate in feature-film screenwriting from UCLA.

As a consultant, Tim provides strategy, finance, and operations help to clients including Fortune 500 companies, small start-ups, and leading non-profits in K12 education reform. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and an alumnus of the global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company.

Tim lives with his wife Simone and two young kids in the Mount Washington neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Editorial Reviews

A bully tale! Channels the timeless voice of Huckleberry Finn to tell an engrossing and amusing adventure story for our times. It is an homage worthy of its inspiration, and I am sure Mark Twain himself would be right proud of the way DeRoche has modernized and maybe here and there even improved upon his original. DeRoche keeps what is best and most enduring about Huckleberry Finn--the timeless, unpretentious wisdom and un-miseducated insight--and tells a great and touching story, too.

Writer for The Simpson and The Office - Dan Greaney

The Ballad of Huck & Miguel breathes new life into Mark Twain's most enduring and iconic character, setting the inimitable and indomitable Huck Finn loose in modern Los Angeles on an adventure every bit as thrilling, provocative, humane, and laugh-out-loud funny as the original. DeRoche channels Twain's winking, laconic prose with effortless aplomb, but it's what's new about this timeless tale that makes it such an urgent and worthwhile read.

Screenwriter of Kong: Skull Island and Godzilla - Max Borenstein

More than 130 years ago, Mark Twain set Huckleberry Finn on a journey down the Mississippi River and deep into the American consciousness. It has been argued that the journey will never be over, since we'll continue to be challenged by this story on so many profound levels as individuals and a nation. Captivating and compelling proof of this can be found in each chapter of The Ballad of Huck & Miguel, Tim DeRoche's bold re-imagining of Twain's novel.

Mark Twain Scholar - Mark Dawidziak

Five stars. A beautiful, heartbreaking story of survival, escape, and finding home.

Foreword Reviews

The story is told by Huck, whose language and childish innocence are a modern reflection of Twain's Huck. . . . Not merely episodic, but cinematic. . . . This ballad is satirical, funny, thrilling, hopeful, and human.

Mark Twain Forum - Kevin Mac Donnell