The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain

Originally envisioned as a collection of adult memoirs of his own childhood, Mark Twain revised Tom Sawyer for young audiences, and the result has been an enduring classic. The story follows young Tom Sawyer and his friends Huck Finn, Joe Harper, and Becky Thatcher through a series of mishaps, pranks, narrow escapes, and everyday situations revealing the humorous side of growing up. Set in the 1840s along the Mississippi in St. Petersburg, Missouri, the book affords an enlightening view of pre-Civil War America and a timeless portrayal of the trials and tribulations of growing up.

Related Readings

"Boy's Manuscript"-short story by Mark Twain

"A Rescue from an Underground Mine!"-true life adventure by Deborah Morris

"Getting the Bugs Out of Tom Sawyer: An Entomologist's View of a Classic"-natural science essay by John D. Evans

"Sometimes I Feel This Way"-poem by John Ciardi

from Ethics-essay by Susan Neiburg Terkel

Study Guide (PDF)