The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
At the very end of the audiobook, it was called out as a librivox recording. Did they just filter out the internal annoying librivox disclaimers to make for a clean audiobook? It was much more listenable than a typical librivox.
I couldn't help but have the Rush's Tom Sawyer go through my head as I listened to this book. The song doesn't have much to do with it other than the title.
In the story, Tom has a number of adventures. He is a dedicated slacker with a kind heart. When tasked with whitewashing a fence, he convinces others to pay him for the privilege of doing it. He later accumulates tickets from Sunday School students and is able to claim a large prize when an official appears. (Alas, he had not learned what he was supposed to for getting the tickets and named David and Goliath as apostles.)
Some of the big adventures include witnessing a crime and later locating a treasure. Tom and his friend had some harrowing experiences and even faked their own death. (They were able to witness their own funeral.) They returned after hearing the details. The criminal was accidentally locked up. in a cave, leading to his death.
Despite being old, the book is very relatable to readers today, though I imagine people would cringe at some of the language being offensively racist. (However, the language was just what was commonly used and not used maliciously.) Tom is up to a lot of mischief, but is still caring and generally doesn't hurt people. He has some "naive" romance where he proposes "engagement" to a girl.
Bernard Devoto was known for his popular American history stories. Alas, those are now out of favor. The one audiobook carried at the library was this whimsical drinking guide. This is a rare audiobook that is available at the local library, but nowhere to be found anywhere on Amazon.