The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1817)

The 1876 boyhood novel earns its place here for its comic set pieces rather than its adventure plot. Tom tricking his friends into paying him for the privilege of whitewashing a fence is one of the great scenes in American humor, and the Sunday school prize and the boys attending their own funeral are nearly as good. The comedy is gentle and grown-up, aimed at adults remembering childhood. Injun Joe, the villain, is drawn with the prejudices of the period.