The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

by Mark Twain

Reviewed by Adarsh Kamath

Fall 2016

REVIEW: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

ISBN# 978-1495238956

THE STORY:

Tom Sawyer, a mischievous boy lives with his Aunt polly and his step brother Sid in the town of St. Petersburg, Missouri. Tom and his friend Huckleberry Finn have always been troublemakers. After one of Tom’s troublesome affairs, he is ordered to whitewash a fence. When his friends come, he acts as if he loves the job and his friends are jealous which makes them want to do it for him. This a major example of

Tom’s interesting life. Part of the story is about Tom having a relationship with a new girl Becky Thatcher. Becky soon realizes that Tom likes another girl and becomes very angry. Tom makes it up to her later. Huck and Tom sneak out to the graveyard where they see Injun Joe killing Dr. Robinson. Tom, Huck, and their friend Joe Harper leave the town for a little while to have fun. This makes the town think that they are dead. They eventually come back and the whole town is in shock. Then, Tom testifies against Injun Joe, but Injun Joe escapes from the court. Tom is terrified now and hopes to never see Injun Joe again. Both of the boys want to be treasure finders as they see Injun Joe and his new comrade. Injun Joe finds a sack of gold and jewels, and keeps it somewhere. Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn keep dodging Injun Joe and a new comrade while looking for that treasure. Tom and Becky get caught in a cave and somehow find Injun Joe lying. Then their lives change forever. (260)

MY OPINION:

When I first opened the book, I thought that the story would be very difficult to read because it had a very strong southern accent. As I kept on reading the book, the accent was slowly fading. I was not a fan of the beginning ⅕ of the book as I could not understand the Sunday school part. I have forgotten everything about the Sunday school part because it was very boring. I might have even skipped those forty pages. Other than that part of the story, the book is terrific. The superior word choice was much needed as it turned a children’s book to a middle school book. I think this book is perfect for any middle school student. The story felt like the exact opposite of my own life as Tom and Huck rarely shower, leave the house at midnight, catch, cook, and eat their own food. Some days, they could just skip school. I loved the times when Huck and Tom chose the different jobs they wanted to do. Overall I would rate this book eight out of ten stars because the beginning of the book was three out of ten while the ending parts were all nine of ten, and I would definitely read it again. (210)

STUDY QUESTIONS AND VOCABULARY:

FIRST SECTION

1. How many money did Tom get to start fighting with the other boy?

1a. Tom wanted two cents to start “licking” the other boy. (8)

2. When Tom was demanding a bible, how many red, yellow, and blue was he willing to give in total?

2a. Nine red, nine yellow, and ten blue tickets = 28 tickets. (30)

3. What is Tom’s full name?

3a. His full name is Thomas, (31)

4. Who is getting “engaged” to?

4a. Tom is getting “engaged” to Becky. (55)

5. How many people did Tom and Huck find in the graveyard?

5a. Tom and Huck found three people at the graveyard. (65)

Melancholy (9)

Tranquility (11)

Morosely (20)

Deftly (52)

Cogitating (59)

MIDDLE SECTION

6. After Tom was rejected by Becky, what does he want to do as a job with Joe Harper & Huck Finn?

6a. They want to be pirates. (88)

7. What protein do the boys the most as pirates.

7a. They eat a ton of fish. (107)

8. At what event do Tom, Joe, and Huck disturb when they came back to town.

8a. The come back at the funeral that was meant for them. (119)

9. Who was Tom flirting with to get Becky angry.

9a. Tom was flirting with Amy to get Becky angry.

10. Because Tom caught Becky ripping a page out of their teachers book, Becky was very angry as she thought Tom was going to tell on her. What did Tom actually do?

10a. Tom told the teacher that he ripped the page.

Coroner (80)

Conflagrations (96)

Grandeur (118)

Languidly (135)

Delirium (153)

                               

LAST SECTION

11. What did Tom and Huck want to do over the summer to get money?

11a. They wanted to find treasure. (157)

12. What precious metal did Injun Joe and his comrade find in a box?

12a. They found gold. (170)

13. Why did Injun Joe not wake up when Tom nearly stepped on his hand?

13a. Injun Joe was drunk. (178)

14. Who did Tom find in the cave lying on the floor?

14a. He found Injun Joe. (206)

15. How much money did Tom and Huck find in the box?

15a. They found about 12,000 dollars.(226)

Lavishly (155)

Ostentatious (175)

Elude (185)

Moiety (203)

Prodigious (227)