The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Tom Sawyer lived with his Aunt Polly in a small town next to the Mississippi River. Tom was clever and funny, but he did not like work. He liked adventures.

One Saturday, Aunt Polly gave Tom a brush and a bucket of white paint. “Paint the fence,” she said. The fence was very long. Tom was sad. His friends were going to play.

Then Tom had an idea. When his friend Ben walked past, Tom painted very slowly and carefully, with a happy face. “This is the best job in the world,” he said. Soon Ben wanted to paint too. He even gave Tom an apple to have a turn! By the evening, many boys had painted the fence, and Tom had a pocket full of treasures.

Tom’s best friend was Huck Finn. Huck had no home and no school, and he was free all day. One night, Tom, Huck and their friend Joe took a small boat to an island in the river. “We are pirates now!” said Tom. They swam, fished and slept under the stars.

Back in town, everyone was worried. They thought the boys were lost in the river. But on Sunday, the three boys walked into the church. Everybody was surprised – and very, very happy.

Tom liked a girl called Becky Thatcher. One day, there was a picnic near a big cave. Tom and Becky went deep inside. Soon they were lost. Their candles were nearly finished, and they were hungry and afraid.

Tom tied a long string to a rock and followed the dark tunnels. At last he saw a small light. It was the sky! Tom and Becky climbed out. They were safe.

Tom knew that some robbers had hidden a box of gold in the cave. Tom and Huck took candles and string and went back. Under a big cross on the wall, they found the box. It was full of gold coins!

Now Tom and Huck were rich. But Tom said the best thing was not the gold. It was the adventure.