The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is about a young boy growing up along the Mississippi River. It's set in the fictional town of St. Petersburg, inspired by Hannibal, Missouri, where Twain lived. Tom Sawyer lives with his Aunt Polly and his half-brother Sid. Tom dirties his clothes in a fight and is made to whitewash the fence the next day as a punishment. He cleverly persuades his friends to trade him small treasures for the privilege of doing his work. The book is considered by many to be a masterpiece of American literature. It is alleged by Mark Twain to be one of the first novels to be written on a typewriter.