Thomas Wildus and the Book of Sorrows: An Introduction

Hi, folks! Glad to be back and blogging once again. Indeed, it has been a while! And boy, has my life has been excruciatingly busy as of late. Truly, I feel relieved that it finally seems as if things ova here are calming down. Somewhat.

Today’s post marks my 12th book review thus far to date! In this post, I will be discussing the brand-spanking new, coming-of-age middle-grade fantasy book Thomas Wildus and the Book of Sorrows, written by new-on-the-scene author J.M. Bergen and released just this month! According to Bergen’s website, today’s spotlight read started out as a bedtime story for his oldest son, which eventually turned into a saga with one book eventually becoming a whopping five! 😮😀 The story itself, chock-full of mystery and adventure, is sure to please even the most selective YA fantasy literature connoisseurs!

Overall, Thomas Wildus and the Book of Sorrows is quite an enjoyable, action-packed read! I enthusiastically recommend this story to both adults and children, from about 11 years of age and up. I especially recommend this story to those who favor books of the fantasy genre. Additionally, I’d also say that those who love the Harry Potter series and/or Madeline L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time would be an ideal audience for this exciting new book series.

Nerds Can Be Cool…

Yeah, I know, I had to. Ha!

The book’s protagonist is Thomas Wildus, a twelve-year-old 7th grader who lives in Orange County, California. Admittedly, the setting of this book surprised me, as there are numerous mentions of Thomas using public transportation as well as running around town, unsupervised, with his BFF counterpart, Enrique.

Really? That’s typical Orange County, California-type living?

When I think of California’s version of the OC, things like gated communities, Disneyland, Real Housewives, nannies, plastic surgery, and sky-high housing prices come to mind. Not Main Street USA-type living, latchkey kids running amok, city buses, and much of any cultural diversity whatsoever (a most-refreshing element woven throughout this particular story-well done, J.M. Bergen, well done).

Who knew that regular folk lived in The OC of the west coast? Not I!

In fact, the book’s Orange County setting sounds more like Orange County, NY-a place near and dear to my heart, as well as where I grew up and near where I currently reside (without the reliable public transportation). The characters alone in Thomas Wildus and the Book of Sorrows seem to be much better suited for this OC:

Ah, local celebrities.

Than this one:

Thank goodness. I don’t think I could get through a half-hour show starring these people, forget a 350-page book.

Anyway, so Thomas Wildus resides in this alternate-reality west-coast OC (I’ll believe it when I see it) with his mom Susan Wilbus, an overworked college professor who treats her job pretty much like a second child. Thomas’ father, John Wilbus, is presumed deceased, though Susan Wilbus doesn’t speak much of the deets regarding Mr. Wilbus’ mysterious disappearance years ago. And Thomas, bless his heart, does not prod her about it, either. Which I give him credit for! I mean, his father passed when poor Thomas was only aged five, and he has been very confused about the circumstances ever since. Most kids Thomas’ age would be asking questions. Could you blame them? I’d want to know, and want to know now!

Sadly, while Thomas does remember his dad leaving for the last time, (as he never returned), he has no idea what precipitated his father’s absence. Death? Abandonment? No funeral was held, no memorial service occurred, nada. It’s like Pops vanished right out of thin air, almost. However, Thomas does hold onto a vivid memory of the time, regarding his father’s mysterious final words to his son:

Magic is real, Thomas. No matter what happens, always remember that.

Foreshadowing alert! Plus an excellent excuse to throw a Queen song up in this post.

At present, poor Thomas has been dealing with the whole ‘absentee father’ thing for about 7, almost 8 years now. In addition, his mama either ain’t never home, or she is buried in paperwork when she IS home. Really, lady? While a bit strict for my taste (give the poor kid a smartphone, already!), Susan Wildus does seem nice enough throughout this book. But, listen, woman, you need to show your son some extra love since his daddy’s been gone! Not the opposite!

Despite the above, Master Wildus rolls with the cards he’s been dealt pretty well. Given Thomas’ family history, it’s pretty impressive that he never acts like a punk to make up for the lack of attention he receives at home. In fact, Thomas consistently is well-mannered and awesome- to everyone. He’s a pretty special little guy, that Master Wildus. Never whining or complaining, Thomas pretty much stays out of trouble and respects not only his mama but most others he comes across in his life.

Though in school, Thomas does misbehave-slightly. Said misbehavior, however, could be categorized as more ‘sneaky’ than ‘combative.’ Also, Thomas’ teachers, are all pretty much mindless dolts. The portrayal of Thomas’ teachers was honestly the only part of the book that disappointed me. Being a teacher myself, I strive to be the polar opposite of those fossils dictating poor Thomas’ education throughout this tale.

One other awesome tidbit about our hero Thomas? Besides “make you laugh” doodle wars with BFF Enrique and the presence of middle school hottie-crush Peggy Epelson, you know what gets Thomas Wildus most excited in life?

Books.

Yep, old, dusty books about magic. 

Yeah, Thomas Wildus is straight nerd. 

Though I must admit, one of those dusty books that excite Thomas ends up being cool AF, as well as the catalyst to an epic period of change in his life. And no, I don’t mean a hormonal one.

Additionally, when Thomas’ mom says the following two sentences after informing her son that an old colleague of his father plans to visit soon and start tutoring him, even though Thomas doesn’t need a tutor in the least:

“Professor Reilly’s field is interdimensional physics. I thought you might find the subject intriguing.”

??? 

Thomas Wildus’ response to such news?

“It sounds cool.”

Omg that kid is SUCH a NERD. Like boss level nerdocrity to the max. Or perhaps he’s too nice? Nah, he’s straight up nerd. Of course, meeting someone who worked closely with his father is also likely a huge selling point for Thomas as well in this situation, and can’t be ignored as a possible motivation.

But yeah, after-school, unnecessary tutoring, and in interdimensional physics?  My daughter, who earned a 98.6 average last quarter carrying a full honors load in middle school and 4-5 extracurricular activities outside of her academics would legit think I was out my damn mind, suggesting that!

Also, I have to admit that Thomas Wildus is a wicked cool nerd, too. Hats off to J.M. Bergen for creating such a multidimensional protagonist. Even Thomas’ interactions with shlubby bully Sean Parker, who is literally as dumb as a box of hammers, avoids the stereotypical bully-vs-victim plot tropes in the end. Overall, J.M. Bergen injects a fresh perspective into a variety of the usually-tired YA preteen fiction plot points with impressive consistency. Which, in turn, makes this story all the more enjoyable to read!

Knowledge Can Be Power…

One of the less-obvious themes of this book is that acquiring knowledge can give a person tremendous power. For most 12-year olds, the act of reading books and for lack of a better phrase, “learning stuff” is what they are forced to do, rather than what they would choose to do. Given the choice, most 12-13-year-olds I know would choose to play Fortnight on their phones, Manhunt with their friends, or text/Facetime their crushes/BFFs rather than question the existence of magic throughout the history of the world. That would be like… writing an unassigned research paper. For fun.

#yikes

Thomas Wildus, however, is not “most kids.” And his special brand of unique nerdiness ends up working out pretty well for him in the end, too. The thirst-for-knowledge bug even ends up biting Enrique, Thomas’ more outgoing, waaaay less nerdy friend mid-story, which leads ‘Rique down a path of awesomeness, too!

Therefore, according to this book, the more you know, the better your life can become. What a great theme for a book aimed at the pre-teen set! The subtle delivery of said lesson is appreciated too, keeping the “preachiness quotient” of the story nice and low.

Vintage, funny, and also very true!

Puberty Can Even Be Magical… ??

Ok, this may be a hard sell, but I just couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that throughout the story, Thomas experiences numerous moments of, um, ‘self-discovery.’ Said moments often included Thomas learning of new, uh, “talents,” the likes of which Master Wilbus had no prior inkling that he possessed. Each day, Thomas would push the limits of his perceived capability, typically while locked in a room by himself. Additionally, throughout the latter half of the story, Thomas’ feelings vacillate from two extreme ends of the emotional spectrum: crazy-invincible I-can-do-anything SuperBoy, and near-total, complete, and utter helplessness.

And back and forth and back and forth and back and forth once again.

Oh, and his appetite is also off-the-charts ravenous.

Puberty metaphors, anyone?

Just sayin.’

Final Thoughts

Overall, I enjoyed reading Thomas Wildus and the Book of Sorrows very much. Young readers will want to root for protagonist Thomas Wildus, the unlikely-yet-entertaining story hero. Thomas’ comrade Enrique is his perfect counterpart and partner in crime, too, kind of like a young ‘Ponch’ and ‘Jon’ of CHiPs fame.

Thomas and Enrique in 15 years, possibly? Plus, the best TV theme song, like, ever.

Beyond the relatability of the main characters, Thomas Wildus and the Book of Sorrows also possesses a pretty diverse cast overall, which is yet another reason to pick up this book and read it, asap! In short, I recommend this book highly. Pick up a copy today!

Thanks for reading. Until next time!

Disclosure: The book was provided to the reviewer. All thoughts belong to the reviewer and have not been influenced.