Tuesday, November 29, 2011

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

The Adventures of Tom SawyerThe 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.... 

5 comments:

  1. Awww. You made me want to read this again. Thanks for the reminder....

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  2. Thanks for the comment on my blog in regards to my daughter :)

    I've never actually read Tom Sawyer I don't think. Parts yes, but not the whole thing. My daughter just had to read it for school and let just say...she wasn't a fan. Which surprised me!

    Do pop over and sign up for my giveaway! The entries are small so the odds are good :)


    http://www.shabbyrabbit.com/2011/11/time-for-give-away-20-amazon-gift-card.html

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  3. Uhm, did you two bibliomaniacs know that today (November 30th) is Mark Twain's B-day?! What perfect timing ;)

    And surely am a bit misty about the plot myself because of the years between myself and the required reading...Not at all because, perhaps, my only fully finished version of the tale may or may not have starred Johnathan Taylor Thomas *sigh* he was a hottie...

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  4. Oh Mark Twain! He is one of my favorite authors. I do love Tom Sawyer, but I must admit that I'm more of a Huck Finn fan myself. These stories capture the essence of childhood in a way that few, if any, other authors have. And who doesn't love a story full of mischief at the hands of kids?

    Grace at Feeding My Book Addiction

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  5. Thelibrarianread,
    Once again our research department has failed us... we had no idea Nov. 30th was Mark Twain’s B-Day. Maybe we had a subconscious thing going on???

    Jenica704,
    Huck is a great character and I loved his perspective on money at the end of the book. I’m quite excited to read about Huck’s adventure early next year!

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