As characters, Harris and Me are modern-day versions of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. As Tom Sawyer does, Harris audaciously seizes any opportunity for mischief and adventure. His imaginative and inventive nature often produces both positive and negative consequences. He is naughty but not bad; the motives behind his antics are, like many adolescents', driven by his desire and determination to have a more adventurous life than his busy, boring parents.

Similarly, readers will see the parallels between Huckleberry Finn and Me.

The narrator approaches life skeptically after being passed among relatives because of his parents' drinking. Despite his knowledge that Harris's schemes spell trouble, Me abandons caution because the promised adventure is too exciting. He is usually content to follow the younger child's lead, but eventually he gains confidence and creates some memorable excitement of his own.

Ironically, the pair's escapades are virtually...