Tomo Saves the Day: Short Story Review

“Tomo Saves the Day” is a mix between a middle grade and a young adult story. It is aimed at younger readers and tells a story that has the potential to thrill its audience. Despite a seemingly simple narrative, there is a surprising amount of tension conveyed in its 21 pages. In that respect, and whilst it may not be particularly lengthy, it is a very worthwhile read. For most readers, it can be devoured in a number of hours. It is a story that you will wish to devour, too; Madeline Slovenz’s writing is action-based and extremely compelling, darting from one event to the next at a very satisfying pace.

For the most part, the characters in this story are fairly well developed. “Tomo Saves the Day” is actually a prequel to a full-length novel that Slovenz is in the process of writing. As a result, a number of these characters will undoubtedly be returning, and, naturally, they will be more thoroughly developed at that time. This is something that “Tomo Saves the Day” will benefit from, for whilst it is a fully standalone story, it is easy to want more – more character development, more interactions between the characters, and more details regarding them. This was probably my biggest complaint regarding the story, but it was quite a minor one, as, in terms of the narrative, the slight lack of character development never interfered with my reading experience.

Honestly, this story surprised me. I never would have expected to enjoy reading a narrative that is based around the American education system: as I live in the UK, it’s unfamiliar to me, and, as a result, I probably wouldn’t have picked up this story of my own accord. This would have been a mistake. The fact that it focusses on American schooling never once prevented me from understanding the narrative. In fact, there is even a section where Slovenz takes the time to explain a little bit about the process. This was not only useful, but also quite skilfully done, as it didn’t break the flow of the story.

Overall, I can recommend “Tomo Saves the Day”: it is a quick, simple read, and it will certainly be appreciated by any younger readers. Personally, I will be awaiting the release of Slovenz’s full-length novel, and, upon it’s release, I will certainly be giving it a read.