The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a novel written by Mark Twain and published in 1876. The novel is largely based in Twain’s own memories of his childhood hometown, Hannibal, a river town in Missouri. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer include themes of youth, race, religion, visions of America, the supernatural, language and communication, morality and maturity, and the hopes, plans, and dreams of the young boys who are its protagonists.