Adventures of Tom Sawyer

I just finished reading a collection of stories about Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain and I really enjoyed them. The book I have contains three stories, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Tom Sawyer Abroad, and Tom Sawyer Detective. I chose this book because I wanted to preread it before assigning it to my son. Actually, I didn't think I would really like it. Surprisingly, I found it very delightful. The characters were very realistic, a bit mishievous and naughty, but realistic nonetheless. I think Twain did a great job of giving the flavor of the times. The second story was a bit far fetched, but that was what made it fun to read. The only negative I found was the way people of color were referred to, although it was common of the time and place it is still derogatory. I do feel that this negative can be used as a teaching tool. This was my first Twain novel and I look forward to reading more of his work.