My all-time favorite work of fiction. I usually read this every summer.

As a fourth grader I read this book and took it very seriously. It was my dream to build a raft and go adventuring. Actually I did build the raft, but there was not enough water in the creek.

My other great ambition was to come marching into my own funeral. I still think that would be fun.

When I read about Tom taking a licking for Becky Thatcher in school and sharing his cake with her in the cave, I thought that was incredibly chivalrous and how things ought to be. Because I read this book when I was young & before I understood much of the humor, I think it shaped the way I think in many ways.

As an adult, I have re-read this book several times and love its timeless humor. The descriptions of a little kid at church are totally relevant today. I have learned that this book is primarily a light-hearted book written about children, but for adults.