Classics Illustrated #19: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

I have read this book numerous times and still enjoy pulling it out every now and then. From boyhood, teen, and adult years I have never seemed to outgrow the adventures of Tom Sawyer. Some of my favorite parts of the book are when there are no adventures at all and it's just every day life. For instance the Sunday morning church service cannot be called an adventure, but Mark Twain made it come to life with Tom's stumbling in front of the Sunday school after trading for tickets. David and Goliath indeed. Of course no service would be complete without the dog and the 'pinchbug'. Every boy has a Becky Thatcher sometime in his life and it's fun to look back at your own childhood as you relive Tom's romantic exploits through his eyes and your own. Of course Tom's adventures wouldn't be complete without his bosom pal Huck Finn. They become pirates on Jackson Island, witness a murder, and find buried treasure in a haunted house. With other colorful characters like Muff Potter, Injun Joe, Aunt Polly, and the school master ("Who tore this book!!!"), this book by Mark Twain will live forever and be a favorite for adults and children alike. And remember, anyone who lies will steal sheep!

We're Agostina, Antú, Bruno, Nicolás and Sofia. We've studied English together for the past three years. We think "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" is an awesome book, although the boys think some action was missing. Our favourite chapter was the one in the graveyard. It was very fun because there was a murder. We recommend this book and we want to read "Huckleberry Finn."

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is one of the best books I have ever read. The language,the thinking,the adventures-all of it was just incredible and enjoyable. The only thing this book needs is more pages! Mark Twain's skill in writing has created a book that all ages should read (or have it read to).Mark Twain reactivates the life and actions of a boy in the mid-1800's,and showed me that kids should be who they are- not what they will be. This is a classic for every generation to read and enjoy. Mark Twain's,The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, tells about a boy loving and living his life to the fullest. Tom Sawyer is the kid that the world has seemed to forgotten. He is the kid who always get in trouble but continues to have fun with life. In this book, Tom does everything from being engaged, to watching his own funeral, to witnessing a [death] and finding treasure. Twain's creative character finds fun everywhere in his little town in Missouri, as do his friends. The storyline is basic, but it is a piece of the past that everyone should hold on to. In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, I learned mainly two things. The first thing I learned was that you can make life fun with just about anything if you use your imagination. Life is too short and precious to be wasted. I also learned that where you least expect it [help or protection], you might just get it. This book was just amazing-filled with unique characters, exciting events, and how a town can pull together to help those in need.

I read this book when I was almost fourteen, just an ordinary modern teenage girl. But any one can read Tom Sawyer and really love it. It has many MANY a funny part. Tom has many fun times with his friends and their imaginations have no limit. The reader gets to learn about boys and girls(mostly boys) that lived more than a hundred years ago. What really appealed to me was the fact that the lives and minds of children then are not too different from children today. Kids today are obsessed with television. Kids back then were obsessed with books and too commonly took make believe for reality. They played tricks on one another and commonly bugged adults or the opposite gender. Often times, they were very superstitous and strongly believed in ghosts and magic. The reader is also swept away by the many adventures of Tom and his friends. Many of their adventures are a part of imagination, pretending to be pirates or Robin Hood. But Tom and Huck do get to have a few real adventures, specifically with the murderer, caves, and river island. The story doesn't have much of a plot or significance, but that is the way it was meant to be, for the story is funny and tickles the reader. It satires and plays with life. I highly recommend it to everyone, for it is important to know the relationship between our time and the past, boys and girls, youth and adults, the mature and immature, and every opposite. Enjoy!

Tom Sawyer is one of the most endearing characters in American fiction. This wonderful book deals with all the challenges that any young person faces, and resolves them in exciting and unusual ways. Like many young people, Tom would rather be having fun than going to school and church. This is always getting him into trouble, from which he finds unusual solutions. One of the great scenes in this book has Tom persuading his friends to help him whitewash a fence by making them think that nothing could be finer than doing his punishment for playing hooky from school. When I first read this story, it opened up my mind to the potential power of persuasion.Tom also is given up for dead and has the unusual experience of watching his own funeral and hearing what people really thought of him. That's something we all should be able to do. By imagining what people will say at our funeral, we can help establish the purpose of our own lives. Mark Twain has given us a powerful tool for self-examination in this wonderful sequence.Tom and Huck Finn also witness a murder, and have to decide how to handle the fact that they were not supposed to be there and their fear of retribution from the murderer, Injun Joe. Girls are a part of Tom's life, and Becky Thatcher and he have a remarkable adventure in a cave with Injun Joe. Any young person will remember the excitement of being near someone they cared about alone in this vignette. Tom stands for the freedom that the American frontier offered to everyone. His aunt Polly represents the civilizing influence of adults and towns. Twain sets up a rewarding novel that makes us rethink the advantages of both freedom and civilization. In this day of the Internet frontier, this story can still provide valuable lessons about listening to our inner selves and acting on what they have to say. Enjoy!