The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Sterling Unabridged Classics Series) »

Riverboat pilot, journalist, failed businessman (several times over): Samuel Clemens -- the man behind the figure of Mark Twain -- led many lives. But it was in his novels and short stories that he created a voice and an outlook on life that will be forever identified with the American character.

Expertly retold to appeal to second to fourth graders, as well as older reluctant readers, each of the beautiful, high-quality books in the Classic Starts series is a literary treasure.

Caitlyn Payne - Children's Literature

What does a young boy do when he witnesses a murder but is terrified the murderer will come after him and kill him if he tells anyone what he saw? This terrible quandary is just one of the trials young Tom Sawyer and his friend Huckleberry Finn face after they see a man killed. On top of this worry about being attacked by the murderer, Tom has to deal with a meddlesome aunt, an ornery teacher, and a pretty girl who does not respond to his schoolboy affection. Quite an adventure for a boy who started his summer trying to get out of having to whitewash a picket fence! Fans of adventure stories, mystery buffs, or readers who enjoyed getting into scrapes with Tom years ago will enjoy this tale of a mischievous boy and his assorted pranks, trials, and intrigues. The book is funny, interesting, and thought provoking. Readers may be put off by archaic language and slang, but once you get beyond the printed words, Tom Sawyer is a wonderful book about a loveable boy who could not stay out of trouble. Part of the "Adventure Classics" series. 2005 (orig. 1876), HarperCollins, Ages 8 to 12.

Contents

Introduction

1. Tom Plays, Fights, and Hides
2. The Glorious Whitewasher
3. Busy at War and Love
4. Showing Off in Sunday School
5. The Pinch Bug and His Prey
6. Tom Meets Becky
7. Tick-Running and a Heartbreak
8. A Pirate Bold to Be
9. Tragedy in the Graveyard
10. Dire Prophecy of the Howling Dog
11. Conscience Racks Tom
12. The Cat and the Painkiller
13. The Pirate Crew Set Sail
14. Happy Camp of the Freebooters
15. Tom's Stealthy Visit Home
16. First Pipes — "I've Lost My Knife"
17. Pirates at Their Own Funeral
18. Tom Reveals His Dream Secret
19. The Cruelty of "I Didn't Think"
20. Tom Takes Becky's Punishment
21. Eloquence — and the Master's Gilded Dome
22. Huck Finn Quotes Scripture
23. The Salvation of Muff Potter
24. Splendid Days and Fearsome Nights
25. Seeking the Buried Treasure
26. Real Robbers Seize the Box of Gold
27. Trembling on the Trail
28. In the Lair of Injun Joe
29. Huck Saves the Widow
30. Tom and Becky in the Cave
31. Found and Lost Again
32. "Turn Out! They're Found!"
33. The Fate of Injun Joe
34. Floods of Gold
35. Respectable Huck Joins the Gang

    Literary Allusions and Notes

    Critical Excerpts

    Mark Twain on The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

    Suggestions for Further Reading