Tom Sawyer Abroad takes Tom, Huck, and Jim on an unusual hot air balloon adventure to foreign lands. The premise is intriguing, but the execution falls short. While the book isn’t very long, it feels like it drags on forever. Tom’s know-it-all personality, which might have been endearing in his original setting, feels grating and out of place in this far-fetched storyline. The characters seem mismatched with the exotic backdrop, making the entire adventure feel disjointed to me.

Compared to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, this one lacks the charm and depth of Twain’s earlier works. It’s not my cup of tea, but at least I can cross it off my list of books in the ''Sawyerverse''. I’m curious about Tom Sawyer, Detective, but my expectations are tempered. This one won’t see a re-read from me, but here’s hoping the next one fares better.