"One of the best-loved and most famous characters in southern literature springs to larger-than-life size thanks to Thomas Becker's inspired delivery."— School Library Journal

Who could forget the pranks, the adventures, the sheer fun of Tom Sawyer? It's something every child should experience and every child will love. From Tom's sly trickery with the whitewashed fence — when he cleverly manipulates everyone so they happily do his work for him — to his and Becky Thatcher's calamities in Bat Cave, the enjoyment just never ends.

Mark Twain was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens November 30, 1835 in Florida, Missouri. He grew up in the Mississippi River town of Hannibal. Sam quit school at the age of twelve to become a journeyman printer. This was to be the first of many occupations, including a river boat pilot, an officer in the Confederacy, a silver prospector in Nevada and a journalist. In 1865 his fame as an American humorist was launched with The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County. He once wrote of his readers, "To simply amuse them would have satisfied my dearest ambition." He died April 21, 1910.