* Coming-of-age: It follows the growth and development of Tom Sawyer from a mischievous boy to a more mature young man.
* Adventure: Tom experiences many exciting and dangerous adventures, from escaping Injun Joe to navigating the Mississippi River.
* Social commentary: Mark Twain subtly criticizes societal norms and hypocrisy through the story's depiction of 19th-century American life.
* Humor: Twain's witty writing and the humorous situations Tom finds himself in are a central part of the book.
* Realism: Though fictional, the novel captures the everyday life and dialect of pre-Civil War Missouri with remarkable accuracy.
While it's hard to definitively place it in a single genre, "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" is ultimately a literary masterpiece that transcends genre boundaries.