Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Overview
Winner of the Benjamin Franklin Award in the category of Juvenile-Young Adult Fiction!
Winner of the Mr. Christie's Book Award!
Shortlist for the 2004 Canadian Library Association Young Adult Canadian Book Award
Ontario Library Association's Golden Oak Award winner, 2005
This riveting story is about a fifteen-yearold boy who, as the story opens, realizes he has no idea who he is_beyond his first name_or what has led to his loss of memory. From the outset, he's on the run, a street kid thrust out on his own, living by his wits and involved in a quest to find another lost teenager whose First Nations father is desperate for news of his son. In the process, he learns to survive and begins to get a sense of his strengths and character.
Tom Finder is the story of a teenage boy on the run who knows little about his identity.
Synopsis
Winner of the Benjamin Franklin Award in the category of Juvenile-Young Adult Fiction!
Winner of the Mr. Christie's Book Award!
Shortlist for the 2004 Canadian Library Association Young Adult Canadian Book Award
Ontario Library Association's Golden Oak Award winner, 2005
This riveting story is about a fifteen-yearold boy who, as the story opens, realizes he has no idea who he is_beyond his first name_or what has led to his loss of memory. From the outset, he's on the run, a street kid thrust out on his own, living by his wits and involved in a quest to find another lost teenager whose First Nations father is desperate for news of his son. In the process, he learns to survive and begins to get a sense of his strengths and character.
Erin Lukens Darr - KLIATT
What if you knew nothing about yourself except your first name? What if the only clues to who you are were a candy heart from Valentine's Day and a small spiral notebook with some notes scrawled about Mozart's opera, The Magic Flute? This surprising gem of a story involves a teenager named Tom who cannot remember who he is or where he came from. Now he is living on the streets of urban Canada, trying to solve the riddle of his existence. Tom meets a strange medicine man, Samuel Wolflegs, who tells Tom he is a "Finder." He tells Tom that he has a gift and that before he can solve the mystery of his identity and find home, Tom must first find Samuel's runaway son, Daniel. The story follows Tom as he adjusts to life on the streets: eating from dumpsters, sleeping under bridges, run-ins with gangs, showering at the bus station. On his quest to find Daniel, Tom finds himself (of all places, at the opera!) He slowly learns about the mystery of his past and how it doesn't necessarily have to dictate his future. Tom Finder provides an eye-opening view of the hardships of those less fortunate whom we often ignore. It would be good to use in a middle school or high school while teaching about character education, citizenship, or possibly even health, allowing for wonderful discussion topics. This book exceeded my original expectations with its depth and insight. KLIATT Codes: JS-Recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2003, Red Deer Press, 141p., Ages 12 to 18.
Editorials
Children's Literature
This is a compassionate and well-written story about a teenage boy living on the streets. His name is Tom, and that is the extent of his memory. "Something had happened to him, but that was the first thing he forgot. He remembered he had started walking because he couldn't run anymore." Tom is dubbed a "Finder" by a silver-braided man, Samuel Wolflegs, who exhorts Tom to find his runaway son. While searching for this boy, Tom finds money, friends, clues about his predicament, and his identity as a writer and poet. Tom witnesses the power of words as the statements he records in his journal come true. The clever use of quotes from "The Magic Flute" to open each chapter provides a framework that is reflected in the storyline. Tom inspires the reader to consider what determines one's identity: self-knowledge, or the expectations of others? Teenage readers will see the homeless with new eyes after reading Tom's story. 2003, Red Deer Press, Ages 13 to 18.—Mary Loftus
KLIATT
What if you knew nothing about yourself except your first name? What if the only clues to who you are were a candy heart from Valentine's Day and a small spiral notebook with some notes scrawled about Mozart's opera, The Magic Flute? This surprising gem of a story involves a teenager named Tom who cannot remember who he is or where he came from. Now he is living on the streets of urban Canada, trying to solve the riddle of his existence. Tom meets a strange medicine man, Samuel Wolflegs, who tells Tom he is a "Finder." He tells Tom that he has a gift and that before he can solve the mystery of his identity and find home, Tom must first find Samuel's runaway son, Daniel. The story follows Tom as he adjusts to life on the streets: eating from dumpsters, sleeping under bridges, run-ins with gangs, showering at the bus station. On his quest to find Daniel, Tom finds himself (of all places, at the opera!) He slowly learns about the mystery of his past and how it doesn't necessarily have to dictate his future. Tom Finder provides an eye-opening view of the hardships of those less fortunate whom we often ignore. It would be good to use in a middle school or high school while teaching about character education, citizenship, or possibly even health, allowing for wonderful discussion topics. This book exceeded my original expectations with its depth and insight. KLIATT Codes: JS-Recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2003, Red Deer Press, 141p., Ages 12 to 18.— Erin Lukens Darr