The Adventures of Tom SawyerThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Score Classic
What it's about
Tom Sawyer lives with his Aunt Polly in a small Missouri town on the Mississippi River. He tricks his friends into whitewashing a fence for him, falls for Becky Thatcher, runs off to an island with Huck Finn to be pirates, attends his own funeral, and one night in a graveyard witnesses a murder, which leads to a hunt for buried treasure.
Why it's worth reading
It was voted onto PBS's Great American Read. It's one of the most beloved boyhood adventures in American literature.
You'll love it if you liked
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Secret Garden
HolesGood to know
It uses racist language and stereotypes, especially in its portrayal of Injun Joe.
By the numbers
- Readers29 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller53 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #149 of the 219 young adult books we rank
- #598 of the 762 classics we rank
- #2095 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Adventurous
More by Mark Twain
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Life on the MississippiIf you like this, read next
Ender's Game
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Black Boy: A Record of Youth and Childhood
The Killer AngelsExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is The Adventures of Tom Sawyer worth reading?
Yes. It was voted onto PBS's Great American Read. It ranks #2,095 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 63.0 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Adventures of Tom Sawyer about?
Tom Sawyer lives with his Aunt Polly in a small Missouri town on the Mississippi River. He tricks his friends into whitewashing a fence for him, falls for Becky Thatcher, runs off to an island with Huck Finn to be pirates, attends his own funeral, and one night in a graveyard witnesses a murder, which leads to a hunt for buried treasure.
How long does it take to read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer?
About 6 hours (231 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Adventures of Tom Sawyer?
If you liked it, try The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett or Holes by Louis Sachar.