The Adventures of Tommy Smith by Robert Sutherland Date of Publication: 2003 ISBN: 000639244X Number of Pages: 181

REQUIRED READING ABILITY: Low
GENRES: Adventure, Historical Fiction
THEMES: Good versus Evil, Survival, Life versus Death, Coming of Age, Appearance versus Reality, Sacrifice and Redemption, Family

SUMMARY:
Tommy Smith is a young orphan in 1882 Collingwood, living by his wits and stealing when necessary. When he accidentally witnesses a murder and is seen by the killers, he knows he must hide. He boards the ill-fated S.S. Asia, a severely overloaded passenger and cargo ship waiting in harbour, and before he can get off of it, the ship has sailed. Soon after, the ship goes down in gale force winds, a true event in Canadian history, and Tommy miraculously survives, though he has no idea who he is. He is rescued by two kind, aboriginal people who nurse him back to health.

On the day he is intending to return to Collingwood, he discovers he is being blamed for the murder, but is presumed dead on the Asia. Taking this as his cue to leave, and with only a few dollars and his trusty harmonica to his name, he sets out to make his fortune in Toronto.

Tommy’s skills with horses and his mouth organ manage to get him a job at the circus, which happens to be in town. Here he reinvents himself and finds the family he craves, a romantic interest, and the chance for a happy life. Unfortunately, however, he is been seen on the journey to Toronto, and the killers he left behind in Collingwood are on his trail, determined to find Tommy and makes sure he stays dead and buried once and for all…

WHO WOULD LOVE THIS BOOK? A kid who...

• likes stories based on real facts
• likes historical fiction
• likes underdogs
• is interested in Toronto, Collingwood, etc. in the past
• is interested in the circus

WHAT ELSE?
This book was nominated for the OLA’s Silver Birch Award, 2004.
This book is slow in parts, despite its exciting premise, so make sure readers are aware of this and don’t mind waiting. It has a good, exciting climax, which will help, as will the true events of the Asia’s sinking. It would be equally fine as a junior novel.

Tommy’s poverty may come as a surprise to some students, who may be shocked to learn how a young child could grow up in a foreign country alone. The mystery/plot is fairly predictable, but that’s not a bad thing for reluctant readers, especially.

RELATED LINK:
Author's Biography