Review: Tom Sawyer and the Ghosts of Summer by Tim Champlin

Tom Sawyer and the Ghosts of Summer, published by Pill Hill Press in July 2010
Author: Tim Champlin

I bought Tom Sawyer and the Ghosts of Summer without knowing anything about the author. I stumbled on the book because it was displayed on the publisher's website and the blurb sounded interesting.

I want to be clear from the beginning, this is not a derivative work like the many which fill bookstore today. This is an original story written by someone who clearly loved the Mark Twain books growing up. Tom Sawyer and the Ghosts of Summer is a great, nostalgic adventure story the way they used to be written. The two main characters are boys in the 1950s having the kind of real adventures that boys do, exciting without having to be contrived. While there is time travel involved in part of the book, by the time you get to it, it almost feels like the rest of the boys' imaginative adventures.

This is the sort of book which made me want to start My Comfy Chair.  From a small press, and not available in most libraries and bookstores, it is a wonderful book that deserves to be read.

I can easily see both kids and grownups enjoying this book. Heartily recommended for boys and girls aged 9-12. Buy it for your kids, but don't miss the chance to read it for yourself as well.

FIVE STARS!

Buy 'Tom Sawyer and the Ghosts of Summer' from Amazon