Well over a century has passed since the publication of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in 1876, but time has done little to diminish the appeal and enjoyment of this classic story of growing up in midwestern America. The world Mark Twain envisioned for his precocious hero is a "boy-perfect" one, where life is perpetual vacation, where good and evil are clearly defined, awe-inspiring contradictions, and where the joys of independent discovery always outweigh the severity of punishment. "Although my book is intended for the entertainment of boys and girls, I hope it will not be shunned by men and women on that account, for part of my plan has been to try to pleasantly remind adults of what they once were themselves, and of how they felt and thought and talked, and what queer enterprises they sometimes engaged in."-Mark Twain
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"The book, The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer was a great book. Even though it was really short it was good. Its about Tom and his friend. They saw a murder happen but they wanted to keep it a secret. They knew who the real killer was but they didn't want to get involved. They followed the killer and tried to see what he was doing at all times. They traveled through the ocean and on land. While all of this was happening there was a girl named Becky. Tom had a crush on Becky. Becky always got mad at Tom for different reasons. It was Becky's birthday and they went exploring through caves. They got lost and they were stuck in there. They had to find their way out. The killer was in the cave to. He died of starvation. I think this book was a very well written comic book. I think that it told a good story. This book didn't bore me and I was persuaded to keep reading it. I think that it was a perfect book because it was short and it didn't take me forever to read. This book kind of reminds me of something that happened in my life. One time my brother broke my sister Nikkis computer and he didn't tell her because he knew she would get mad. My brother who broke it tried to blame it on my other brother. Then my sister got mad at my brother who didn't break it. There was this big fight over who broke it and who didn't break it. I was the only one that knew the truth but I kept my mouth closed cause I didn't wanna rat anyone out. Overall I thought it was a really good book."
— Katie (5 out of 5 stars)
“Dietz's reading is well-paced, neutral as to regional accent except for the dialogue, and expressive without being exaggerated.”
— Kliatt“The Adventures of Tom Sawyer has the truth of honesty—what it says about things and feelings is never false and always both adequate and beautiful.”
— Lionel Trilling, American literary critic“Confirms the profoundest wishes of the heart.”
— Christopher Morely, American author, journalist, and poet" I read this a few years after Huck Finn, and I think I like it more. I do want to give Huck another look, but Tom Sawyer was a joy to read through and through. "
— Steven, 2/19/2014" This book is a series of priceless glimpses into the escapades of a very rambunctious, cunning and imaginative boy. Twain descriptions of Tom's perceptions, reactions and solutions were right on par with how I picture a boy in his situation would be. These experiences are laced with humor, craftiness and scheming, and despite all of his mischievous choices, Tom remains a rather tender boy at heart; his sweet sentiments towards Becky Thatcher and placing the flower next to his heart, for example. In addition, even though Tom continued to exert much effort to avoid chores, school work or memorizing scriptures, his prowess and keen mind were magnified when plotting means to secure hidden treasures or figuring out how to escape from the cave. This was a most pleasant read that I can easily envision reading again. "
— Melinda, 2/18/2014" LOVED reading this again! I believe the last time I heard this story was out loud in 5th or 6th grade. SO much easier to read once you get the lingo down and the lilt of the sentences. Mark Twain is a superb story teller. I loved how he spins the tale of Tom Sawyer through Tom's naughty and mischievous mind. Spot on for the age and the situations. I'm so glad I re-read this and I can't wait until the kids are reading it too....AWESOME! "
— Pamela, 2/18/2014" Mostly a fun read with some interesting Biblical overtones, at least in the beginning. For required high school reading, you can't do much better. "
— Ted, 2/17/2014" It was a fun read. Too bad many of the references will be soon lost on young readers "
— Annette, 2/15/2014" This book was really cool! I read the abridged kids version when I was younger. When I compare these to two books, I see that so much is different: in the kids version, they "translated" it so that we wouldn't have anything to look up. The unabridged version is much more enjoyable because there is more of a challenge to understand the meaning of the story. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a lot of adventure, comedy, drama, and a hint of a love story. "
— Sara, 2/13/2014" nice adventure with deep look "
— Mahmoud, 2/13/2014" Mark Twain really does a great job capturing the voice of a young boy. I never really appreciated it until I had one of my own! "
— Tena, 2/11/2014" My parents made me read this book for a book report, but it ended up really interesting. Tom's adventures were exiting and I learned a lot about civil war times. And, I got an A+ for the book report. "
— Caroline, 2/8/2014" Too good for kids, but they might get something out of it. "
— Skittle, 2/8/2014" Great, just great. Can't really say much else. "
— Josh, 2/7/2014Mark Twain (1835–1910) was born Samuel L. Clemens in the town of Florida, Missouri. He is one of the most popular and influential authors our nation has ever produced, and his keen wit and incisive satire earned him praise from both critics and peers. He has been called not only the greatest humorist of his age but also the father of American literature.
Norman Dietz is a writer, voice-over artist, and audiobook narrator. He has won numerous Earphones Awards and was named one of the fifty “Best Voices of the Century” by AudioFile magazine. He and his late wife, Sandra, transformed an abandoned ice-cream parlor into a playhouse, which served “the world’s best hot fudge sundaes” before and after performances. The founder of Theatre in the Works, he lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.