The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Mark Twain

Tom Sawyer is firmly embedded in American culture. It doesn't matter that this book was written well over 100 years ago. Tom is as appealing today as he was then. The mischievous boy rings a chord across time. We all know a child as precocious as Tom.

It's the 1840's or so in Missouri along the Mississipi River. Aunt Polly is raising Tom, his half-brother, Sid, and Mary. Sid and Mary are good children. Tom, on the other hand, is always in trouble. Even when he doesn't do something wrong, he finds a way to be in trouble. When the weather is good, he skips school and goes swimming. He goes out and plays Robin Hood with his friend Joe Harper when he should be studying. He sneaks out at midnight to meet Huck Finn at the graveyard with a dead cat. Aunt Polly keeps trying to get Tom to behave.

Tom knows how to exchange treasures for his own gain. What's the worth of an aggie? What is the worth of a frog? or the knob of an andiron? Tom uses his treasures to get a Bible, show his love, or bribe a friend. He is an entrepreneur of first rank.

The foray into the cemetary brought extra trouble for Tom and Huck. They witnessed a murder. They were afraid of their own lives and swore to keep quiet. The knew Injun Joe would kill them as well if he knew they had seen his act. Now what do they do?

Tom is unforgettable and squirms right into a person's imagination and heart. I was laughing out loud at his exploits throughout the book. I could identify with the young romance with Becky Thatcher. This American classic is worth reading and re-reading. The books shows the joy of childhood as well as the acceptance of change. Share it with your children. They'll like Tom, too. (Oh, yeah, I forgot. It is a children's book, isn't it? I told you your kids would like the book.)

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