Pleasure Reading Middle School/High School: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

Title:
The Adventure of Tom Sawyer


Bibliographic Information:
Twain, M. (1982). The adventures of Tom Sawyer. Morristown, N.J: Silver Burdett Co. 


Weekly Requirement:
Pleasure Reading Middle School/High School


Plot Description:
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer tells the story of precocious young Tom Sawyer, a boy living in 19th century Mississippi who loves to play and cause mischief. Tom is an orphan being raised by his aunt Polly. He lives with his brother Sid and cousin Mary. His best friend is the town hoodlum Huckleberry Finn, and his love interest is Becky Thatcher. Tom, Huck, and his friends spend the days going into school, playing, and occasionally getting into trouble. Tom is very bright and is able to trick other boys into doing things like whitewashing a fence for him in exchange for slips they earned in Sunday school, which he then turns in himself to get free Bible. On an adventure he also witnesses a murder and helps the man framed for the murder be acquitted. Tom has many other memorable adventures throughout the book.

Quantitative Reading Level:
Lexile 930


Qualitative Reading Analysis:
The text is told in American English from the 19th Century. Deciphering the language may require additional support. It is told in the third person. It is told in chronological order with no flashbacks. The focus chapters does jump around a bit, which may be confusing and require additional support to follow. Students will need some familiarity with the Bible to know Tom is incorrect when he says David and Goliath were two disciples. Teachers will have to explain this to those not familiar with Biblical texts.


Content Area:
English, American Literature


Maine Common Core Content Area Standard:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.1
Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.3
Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters or plot).

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.6
Analyze how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of different characters or narrators in a text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.9
Compare and contrast a fictional portrayal of a time, place, or character and a historical account of the same period as a means of understanding how authors of fiction use or alter history.

Curriculum Suggestion:
Middle school English teachers can have students compare the book to a modern day book of children having an adventure to see how the Twain's story is similar and different from the stories of today.

Series information:

Other books with Tom Sawyer include The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer Abroad,  and Tom Sawyer, Detective.