The sun shines on Tom Sawyer. The idealized childhood of this fictional hero, based on Mark Twain's own early life along the banks of the Mississippi, is filled with robust good humor and high-spirited adventures. Yet there is also an in-depth experience of the central South of the 1840s—its dialects, superstitions, and social values. While romping through fun-filled fantasy, Tom Sawyer shows how morally complicated real life can be.

This reading of Tom Sawyer is especially notable for the virtuoso performance of actor Patrick Fraley. Crafting thirty-six authentic "voices" to represent the wide range of Twain's delightful characters, Fraley proves his storytelling mastery. Hear why this is one of the world's best-known and best-loved books, appealing to all ages.