Why wouldn’t he just tell the TRUTH about his favorite author?
He could have and gotten a response of "Huh?".
I really think he was trying to 'play to the audience' and came off sounding goofy.
It’s called pandering. He sees a child and immediately goes for the answer that he hopes will satisfy her.
Yo, Huk … she is not old enough to vote!
Yes. Maybe a truthful answer would cause the girl to ask another question, maybe start a dialog with her Mom. When I was little, someone spoke to me of his passion for Mitchner. I was too young at the time, but later remembered that an adult I respected liked this author. When I was ready for something ‘adult’ I read one of his books ... didn’t finish it, but was proud to try. Huck’s answer was condescending.