[.ca] Tom Sawyer Abroad (1894) (ISBN 0195101480)

This is what Tom, Huck, and Jim are really about!:
If you really want to sink your teeth into three of Mark Twain's greatest characters, read this book. I actually prefer it over Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Twain went much deeper in defining the characters; Tom thinks he knows everything and loves to argue, Huck takes everything literally and loves to argue back, and Jim is well. . . Jim! I will say this: If anyone has ever found the portrayal of Jim offensive, it's no different here, but I'm assuming that if you're considering reading this, you must have enjoyed the other two books. So, what are you waiting for, read it!

JUVENILE ARGONAUTS OVER THE SAHARA:
This book picks up right after the hullaballo has died down from Tom and Huck's triumphal return. Tom kinda craves notoriety as he competes for the unofficial title of Hannibal's First Traveler. Then Tom, Huck and Jim are accidentally kidnapped by a mad inventor and go sailing off in a hot-air balloon. They eventually find themselves adrift over the Atlantic Ocean but when they sight land, it is not Europe! This book is told with youthful zest and slangy vocabulary by an admiring Huck in the first person, so that he can praise Tom's leadership skills and powers of argument! The three unintentional argonauts finally realize that they are sailing over the Sahara Desert, where they have a variety of adventures, interspersed with juvenile deductions and debates. Their adventures are right out of Arabian Nights: no magic lamp or genies, but caravans, lions, mirages, warring Bedouin tribes, devastating sand storms! All interspersed with Tawin's wry humor as he slips in some snide remarks about more serious social issues (spoken through the mouths of babes). Not much of a plot, but plenty of lively dialogue as the boys try to argue using logic and indulge in youthful dreams of sudden fortune. A fun read with sly social criticism. But really, Mark Twain, Tigers--in Africa???