“Tom Sawyer Abroad” by Mark Twain

Need a book you can finish fast that won’t bore you? Allow me to introduce a flying machine, a desert, and a few very bad ideas.

Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn have already survived one steamboat trip, a haunted cave, and a graveyard murder. Now Tom has a new plan: climb aboard a balloon airship built by a mad professor and see the world from above. The professor has plans of his own, and in no time the boys and Jim, their loyal friend, are drifting across the Atlantic with no way to steer home.

From there it’s one wild stop after another. A sandstorm. A caravan lost in the Sahara. Lions, mirages, and a look at the Sphinx and the Pyramids. Huck tells the story in his own plain, funny voice, and he’s more careful than Tom, which means every arguing match between them is worth the price of admission. Tom has big ideas. Huck has a good deal of common sense, and neither one is shy about saying so.

It’s short, it moves fast, and it’s a good pick for a rainy afternoon. If you’ve enjoyed “Tom Sawyer” or “Huckleberry Finn,” this one is a sequel in the same spirit.

Here’s the best part: I have two copies, both 1988 paperbacks that have never been read. Both are in good condition. Grab one for yourself and one for a friend, and you’ll have someone to argue about the ending with.

Find them at Dead Tree Dreams. Fly responsibly.