Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer

In the spirit of summer, I recently reread Twain's classic tale of childhood, Tom Sawyer. The classic episodes like Tom convincing friends to pay him for the privilege of whitewashing his aunt's fence to showing up at his own funeral to being trapped in a cave truly convey the joy and adventure of childhood. From one idea to the next, Tom's world of dreams and his superstitious and clearly warped sense of reality make for great entertainment. And of course, the witnessing of murder, the pursuit of treasure, the honorable exoneration of an innocent man, the chase by Indian Joe, and the triumphant discovery of hidden treasure make for quite a plot. It's hard to imagine better summer reading. If you haven't picked up this book for a while, give it a shot. You'll remember why it is truly a classic.