My Rating: 5 Stars

Wonderful novel! Fantastic, heart-warming and fast-paced adventure that was impossible to put down. I absolutely loved every phrase of it!

I want to thank Miss Ali Seegar for the advanced copy of her debut novel and for the opportunity to read it.

Tommy Turner’s Tremendous Travels by Ali Seegar tell the story of Tommy, a 12 year old boy and his adventures in a difficult period of his life. When Tommy’s mother announces that they will be moving from his little town to another, Tommy feels that his world is ending. Forced to leave everything behind including his best friend and fellow adventurer Digby, the 12-year-old struggles to adjust to a new life, a new school and the constant favouritism of his sister Sally.

But his life changes when he enters ‘Petrovsky’s Toy Store’, where his double-life starts. During the day, he’s a student at the High Brooms, struggling to fit in, make friends and survive encounters with bullies, and at night he’s an adventurer that travels to different planets meeting aliens, fighting mythical monsters and even winning the World Cup. When real life catches up to him, will Tommy be able to become the hero of his story?

First of all, I want to congratulate Patrick Hawkins for the brilliant illustrations in this book, they really helped me in imagining Tommy’s world and to fall deeper into the story.

Secondly, for Miss Ali Seegar, I want to say that you are a wonderful writer with an amazing talent. The writing is very nice, it flows perfectly and the simple vocabulary makes it very easy to understand and follow. The story-line is incredible, very rich in imagination and creativity. In this novel there aren’t just adventures but lessons as well, lessons that come with life experiences. I loved to see the evolution of Tommy’s character from the lost boy desperately wanting attention and struggling with a new life to the boy against all odds overcomes his fears and insecurities and starts his own path in life.

I fell in love with Tommy, with his courage and his ability to face his fears. It was very easy for me to identify some of the challenges Tommy faced to ones that I had myself when I was younger, and that’s why I think this book isn’t just for children but for adults too.

Mr Petrovsky, the toy store owner, represents the past and he’s there for a reason. The lessons that he teaches are the horrors of past wars, their consequences and that we should value what we have in our lives and the people that are important to us. 

An amazing story with brilliant and memorable characters that will leave a tear in your eye. I highly recommend this book for children of all ages and for adults would like to remember that it’s like to be a child. I can’t wait for Miss Ali Seegar’s next novel!