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The Exploits of Sam Towery
A modern take on The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Warren Walter's The Exploits of Sam Towery is a tale of comedy, suspense, relationships, and transformation that reimagines many of Twain's themes and key plot points in a fresh, new way.
Sam Towery, an orphan living with his grandmother in the small town of St. Dismas, feels trapped. Not the biggest fan of school and other people’s rules, Sam makes the best of things by hanging out with his friends, practicing with the swim team, and trying to get to know the intriguing new girl in town. One day, Sam gets in big trouble at school and decides to join his friend Carlos on a Halloween night adventure. When the adventure turns tragic, Sam suddenly finds himself tangled up with dangerous people in a way that just might cost him his life.
Please visit www.samtowery.com for more information including a story map and two free teacher guides.
Sam Towery, an orphan living with his grandmother in the small town of St. Dismas, feels trapped. Not the biggest fan of school and other people’s rules, Sam makes the best of things by hanging out with his friends, practicing with the swim team, and trying to get to know the intriguing new girl in town. One day, Sam gets in big trouble at school and decides to join his friend Carlos on a Halloween night adventure. When the adventure turns tragic, Sam suddenly finds himself tangled up with dangerous people in a way that just might cost him his life.
Please visit www.samtowery.com for more information including a story map and two free teacher guides.
320 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2017
1 person is currently reading
6 people want to read
About the author
Warren Walter
1 book1 follower Warren Walter first read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in a sixth grade classroom. For a kid trapped in a quiet and often boring small town, Twain's vivid characters, adventurous plot, and near perfect description of that time in life when carefree youth starts to give way to adulthood were a revelation.
His enjoyment of Twain's story and characters stayed with Warren and he often wondered how they would translate to a contemporary setting. Guided by this wonder, Warren wrote in bits and pieces in dozens of coffee shops and libraries over several years, slowly fleshing out his adaptation. The result, The Exploits of Sam Towery, is a compelling novel that addresses many of the same themes and reimagines several key plot points (including getting caught skipping school, whitewashing the fence, the murder in the graveyard, running away, and the ultimate confrontation with the main antagonist) in a completely new way.
Warren hopes readers of all ages will explore his story which stands on its own as a tale of adventure, comedy, suspense, relationships, and transformation. He also hopes his story inspires a new generation of readers to explore Twain's original novel so they too can develop an appreciation of the literary classic.
His enjoyment of Twain's story and characters stayed with Warren and he often wondered how they would translate to a contemporary setting. Guided by this wonder, Warren wrote in bits and pieces in dozens of coffee shops and libraries over several years, slowly fleshing out his adaptation. The result, The Exploits of Sam Towery, is a compelling novel that addresses many of the same themes and reimagines several key plot points (including getting caught skipping school, whitewashing the fence, the murder in the graveyard, running away, and the ultimate confrontation with the main antagonist) in a completely new way.
Warren hopes readers of all ages will explore his story which stands on its own as a tale of adventure, comedy, suspense, relationships, and transformation. He also hopes his story inspires a new generation of readers to explore Twain's original novel so they too can develop an appreciation of the literary classic.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 17, 2017
Pretty good first novel from Walter. While you definitely see the Twain influences, and Walter unabashedly remarks this is Twain for the 21st Century, the story definitely is unique in its own right as well. You quickly become enamored with the characters. I can definitely relate to Sam, as many will be able to--your typical smart, but low-achieving hero of the story getting up to all kinds of exploits. Other characters like Jake, Carlos, and Jenny were also surprisingly well developed in a first attempt. Will be interested to see if we see more from them.
October 13, 2017
Great story about a modern day Tom Sawyer!
Wonderful tale of adventure and friendship. Perfect coming-of-age book for young adults. Sam's exploits are fun to follow, and a good representation of today's youth. I teach high school and Sam and his friends are much like teens at my school. Excellent read from beginning to end.
Wonderful tale of adventure and friendship. Perfect coming-of-age book for young adults. Sam's exploits are fun to follow, and a good representation of today's youth. I teach high school and Sam and his friends are much like teens at my school. Excellent read from beginning to end.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews