The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer – Mark Twain

Evan’s ESS = 8 out of 10

Erin’s ESS =  out of 10

Content = (Name Calling, Mild Violence, Pirating, Whitewashing)

“Certainly.  Of course.  That’s part of it.  And always coming to school or when we’re going home, you’re to walk with me, when there ain’t anybody looking – and you choose me and I choose you at parties, because that’s the way you do when you’re engaged.”

Why: Tom Sawyer was surely required reading during our elementary school days.  In fact, it was probably assigned to us multiple times, yet, much of the storyline eludes us.  Okay, now stop right there...  We know what you’re thinking, so spare us the underhanded comment about the state of our memory or the lengthy span of years since our grade school days.  The cause for misremembering has much more to do with...  Actually, it’s almost entirely owning to the fact that.... On second thought, the reason isn’t all that important.  Let’s just move onto the review...

For those individuals currently living under a rock or suffering from Temporary Plot Displacia (TPD), Tom Sawyer is about the misadventures of a boy named... Tom Sawyer.  Oft accompanied by his best friend, Huckleberry Finn, the pair is constantly on the lookout for adventure and mischief.  Rarely do the boys think more than a few second ahead, and while this strategy lands Tom in hot water more than once, it also serves his town well in the end.  Whether he’s using his considerable skills to talk his way out of whitewashing a fence or inadvertently tracking down criminals, Tom’s exploits make for great reading.  We can only feel saddened for poor, poor Becky Thatcher...

  

We’re sure it’s been said a bazillion times before, but we loved how Twain captured the spirit of boyhood in Tom Sawyer.  The innocence of pursuits like Tom’s sudden interest in whistling is eerily similar to how our own son has recently taken to snapping.  Every aspect of boyhood is touched upon in the novel: adventure, superstition, rebellion, love and several others we’re sure we’re missing.   The tone for the entire novel is set at the beginning in the humorous and irrational fight scene between Tom and the boy exiting Sunday school. 

Tom Sawyer was also surprisingly readable despite a few fears we had been holding onto from our aforementioned grade school experiences.  We may even consider reading this novel with our own children, although the pages are covered with new ideas to drive parents crazy.  On second thought, we might let the school system handle this one....