Tom Sawyer Abroad; Tom Sawyer, Detective (Barnes & Noble Digital Library)

Mark Twain loved to place American characters—forthright, ingenious, but sometimes naive—in exotic locales, just to see what madcap results might ensue. In this sequel to Tom Sawyer, Tom and his pals Huck Finn and Jim travel via balloon to Africa, where they run up against robbers, lions, and some particularly fearsome fleas.