Now that classes are letting out and things are apt to slow down, this might be a good time for this kind of a discussion. My response to Scott Holmes and my question to the list is "Is it possible that Twain *is* inappropriate for today's children?" I'm serious. Despite the fact that Huck Finn is a great book and a good read, there are more and more parents who object to it. Im not sure that we can dismiss these opinions outright. Maybe we should consider whether Huckleberry Finn is an appropriate book to be taught in schools, or at what level should the book be taught. Maybe we shouldnt teach this book without teaching the historical background first. I think that whether the book is taught in schools it will still be read by children. There can be no danger of its dying simply because it ceases to be a required text. I think we should recognize too that part of Twain's power is his ability to be offensive. If he can no longer offend us, then we have enshrined him as that white-suited sage, that Hal Holbrook masquerade, and we will have destroyed him. *Then* we will have made him into one of those classics that nobody reads. Ted Ficklen University of Missouri - St Louis