The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain is an 1876 novel about a young boy growing up along the Mississippi River. Aunt Polly searches and screams for Tom Sawyer: she wants to confront her nephew about some missing jam. Tom, however, is able to outwit his aunt and slips away. But Aunt Polly loves him so much she cannot be too harsh with him. She is concerned that he will play hooky that afternoon, and sure enough he does.