A story about a courageous girl with a knack to get things done even if it's the hard way. A great read.

I enjoyed the (male) author narrating events (first person) from the viewpoint of a middle-age(ish) woman looking back on events that happened when she was 13. Portis carries it off well. Knowing the story kept me from a sitting-on-the-edge-of-my-seat-feeling that I think might have been there if I had been reading without foreknowledge of events. Mattie Ross is an extremely strong young female character - one of the best I've read. Her sense of honor, perserverance, and "grit" open myriad avenues of discussion. The humor in the book slides in during her account of things as she sees them, though she doesn't realize the humor herself. (Also a great choice for a mother-daughter book club meeting.)

I enjoyed the adventure and the humor in the book. I didn't really care either way about the characters but I thought the descriptions of life on the edge of the 'lawless' Indian territory was fascinating.