Tommy Storm facts for kids
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| Author | A.J. Healy |
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| Country | Ireland |
| Language | English |
| Series | Tommy Storm |
| Published | 2006 (Quercus) |
| ISBN | 978-1-84724-425-3 |
| Followed by | Tommy Storm and the Galactic Knights |
Tommy Storm is an exciting adventure novel written by Irish author A.J. Healy. It's the first book in the Tommy Storm series. The story is about an 11-year-old boy named Tommy Storm who lives on Earth in the year 2096. By this time, Earth is very different: it's always hot and rainy, birds are gone, and everyone lives in cities that float above the water.
Tommy doesn't truly appreciate his home planet or understand friendship until he's sent far away from Earth. He travels with four other kids to a special training school in the Milky Way galaxy, where he meets many different alien species. The book follows Tommy's first big adventure. A second book, Tommy Storm and the Galactic Knights, came out in 2009, and more books are planned for the series.
Famous Irish literary critic Declan Kiberd called Tommy Storm "Brilliant. Hilarious. An intergalactic Gulliver's Travels.” Tony Hickey from Village magazine also praised it, saying it was a "knockout achievement" that mixes different styles, almost like if famous Irish writer Flann O'Brien wrote science fiction.
Tommy's Galactic Adventure
The MilkyFed Invitation
The President of Earth, Guttly Randolph, and the Grand Council (a group of important leaders) get a special invitation from the MilkyFed. The MilkyFed is a powerful group of planets located in the center of the Milky Way galaxy. They want five Earth children, chosen by the Grand Council, to come to a training center far away in space. The training is for a very important and secret mission.
Earth's Deputy President, Elsorr Maudlin, doesn't trust the MilkyFed. He tries to stop the decision until after the deadline. But he agrees to let it happen if he can choose two things:
- The Grand Council Elder who will go with the five children. Maudlin chooses President Randolph, so he can take over as President of Earth.
- One of the five children. Maudlin picks Tommy Storm, a boy everyone thinks is a loser.
Tommy's Unexpected Journey
Meanwhile, at The Wilchester Academy for Younger Adults, 11-year-old Tommy Storm is having a tough time. A stronger, more popular boy named Felkor Stagwitch is bullying him. Tommy defends himself and ends up being sent to his room as punishment.
Later, the headmaster, Mr. Withers, announces that Felkor Stagwitch has been chosen to go to the special training school in the Milky Way. After this, Mr. Withers tells Tommy privately that he has also been chosen!
Training and Discoveries
After some tests, the Earthlings are ranked from 1 to 5, with Felkor in first place and Tommy in last. Based on their rank, they are put into groups of five with students from other planets.
During his time at the training school, Tommy learns many new things. He also starts to uncover secrets about his own past.
The Terrible Future Calamity
The 25 students at the training school soon learn why they are there. The Milki Masters (the leaders of the school) know about a coming disaster. They call it the TFC, or "Terrible Future Calamity," which means the end of the universe!
At the end of the training, one group will be chosen for a mission. Their job will be to find out what will cause the TFC and try to stop it. To win this mission, groups must earn points by winning different competitions.
Tommy's Family Secret
Every time Tommy meets one of the Milki Masters, they seem to recognize something about him. At the end of his stay, Lord Beardedmoustachedwiseface-oh, the leader of the Milki Masters, tells Tommy a huge secret.
He reveals that Tommy's parents were taken by the Milki Masters a long time ago. Lord Beardedmoustachedwiseface-oh had found out that a giant meteor was heading for Earth, big enough to destroy it. One of the Milki Masters tried to shoot down the meteor but missed, and Earth was destroyed. Tommy's parents, who had called themselves Bonny and Clive, then chose to sacrifice themselves to turn back time. A different Milki Master took the shot this time and hit the meteor, saving Earth. The Milki Masters recognized Tommy because he looks so much like his parents.
The Abyss Challenge
One Milki Master takes Tommy and his group to a deep, dark pit called an abyss. A wooden plank sticks out over the abyss like a diving board. The Milki Master explains that it takes eight steps to walk to the end of the plank. With each step, you see something different in the abyss.
There's a legend: if you reach the end of the plank, turn around, cross your arms, and fall into the abyss, someone who loves you will catch you and bring you back to the top. The Milki Master also says that no one has ever taken more than four steps.
Tommy and his group try to walk the plank, but another group arrives and interrupts them just as Tommy is about to take a fifth step. Later that night, Tommy secretly returns to try again. Two of his group members follow him without him knowing. Tommy locks the soundproof door, so he doesn't hear them.
Tommy walks the plank, seeing terrible visions with each step, like Earth burning. Finally, he takes his eighth step, turns, crosses his arms, and falls backward. No one knows exactly what he saw or did in the abyss, but it's believed his parents caught him, talked to him, and showed him their love before he returned to the top.
Trouble on Earth
Meanwhile, back on Earth, Elsorr Maudlin is misusing his power as president. He removes two Grand Council members from power and sends one to prison.
When President Guttly Randolph has a heart attack and seems to die, Tommy brings his body back to Earth for burial. Maudlin forces Tommy to bring Randolph's coffin to the Grand Council. Maudlin is very happy that Randolph is gone, but then Randolph suddenly stands up!
It turns out that MilkyFed doctors are much more advanced and were able to bring him back to life. They can't do this for people who are truly dead, but Randolph only pretended to be dead to get to the Grand Council. Maudlin then stabs Randolph with his sword. Tommy draws his own sword, and they fight. Just as Maudlin is about to defeat Tommy, Randolph pulls an elevator shaft down on top of Maudlin, killing him. Randolph then dies from his stab wound, even though the MilkyFed doctors could have saved him. He says he is ready to be with his late wife, Gerty.
The Winning Group
Back at the training school, Tommy learns the final scores. Felkor's group is first, and Tommy's group is last, even though Tommy believes his group should have won. Lord Beardedmoustachedwiseface-oh announces that someone in Tommy's group broke a rule. Tommy knows it was him, for going to the abyss at night. Because of this, his group is disqualified. Medals are given to the other four groups.
Then, Lord Beardedmoustachedwiseface-oh recites his favorite poem: "'Tis not what you do, 'tis how you do it. 'Tis not what you say, 'tis how you say it. First shall be last, gibbledibble-blast."
He then announces that Tommy's group has won, despite the points! Tommy's group boards their spaceship, called Swiggy. After they leave, it's revealed that the Milki Masters actually have no idea what the TFC is.
Swiggy's Journey
Swiggy approaches Earth, moving faster than the speed of light. When it seems they collide, everything goes dark for a long time. Then, everything returns to normal. But, as one of the group members notices, Earth is still there!
Tommy then explains his secret plan. He stole two "wigholes" from the training school. He placed them perfectly on either side of Earth. So, when Swiggy seemed to crash into Earth, it actually entered one wighole and came out the other side, saving the planet!
Rumbles and Woozie decide to try an old MilkyFed legend. They believe that if a person crosses their arms, closes their eyes, and falls backward without bending their legs, someone who loves them will catch them. This is called the Inner-Lath Catch. Rumbles and Woozie try but can't do it without bending their legs, so it doesn't work. They give up when Rumbles accidentally knocks open a cabinet, covering him/her in sticky "Grow-sss-goo." Marielle watches them after her bath. She then decides to try it herself. The book ends with her successfully not bending her legs.
More About Tommy's World
Wigholes Explained
A wighole is a special object, about the size and shape of a pizza. Wigholes always come in pairs. If a person or object goes into one wighole, they will instantly come out of the other wighole in the pair. Wigholes are similar to "wormholes," which are often talked about in science fiction.
Tommy's Group Members
Tommy's group is ranked last among the five groups. His team includes:
- Tommy Storm himself.
- Woozie Wibblewoodrow: A small, round, furry creature from the planet Friggle. Woozie is the first friend Tommy makes at the training school. Woozie was chosen because he is the best at floating bowling on his entire planet.
- Marielle: An "elquinine" from the planet Wild-Elqui-9. She looks very human. Her full name is Most-Awesomely-Radiant-ickle-Elegant-Lusciously-Laughterful-Empress. Elquinines can breathe underwater. Tommy has a crush on her, and in the next book, The Galactic Knights, it's revealed Marielle also had a crush on him.
- Sum-Wun-Saurus (nicknamed Summy): A female, dragon-like creature from the planet Uh-oh-Ithinktheysaurus.
- Rumblethunderbumbles (nicknamed Rumbles): A "thunderbumble" from the planet Shaggyfurmop. Thunderbumbles can be both male and female. Rumbles has three hands and looks a bit like a bear.
Space-Folk Differences
Most people in the universe have three fingers and a thumb on each hand, and four toes. Humans are different, with five fingers and five toes. Humans have mostly stayed out of galactic affairs. Other species in the universe are more advanced than humans. Tommy's roommates often have to explain new things that are normal for them but strange to Tommy.
The Training School Details
The training school where Tommy and the other 24 kids go is located in a space station called IGGY (InterGalactic Great Youth). It's in the very center of the Milky Way. The Milki Masters who run the school are Lord Bearedmoustachedwiseface-oh, Miss LeWren, Mr. Crabble, Mr. Monsenior, and Lady Muckbeff.
Students compete in various activities to earn points and be chosen for the dangerous mission. These competitions include:
- MilkyWay History and Geography quizzes
- P.O.O. (a special subject)
- Phenomena (studying strange events)
- Floating bowling
- Planet Chessy (a type of chess)
- Jegg race
- Flashscimitar contest
Publishing Journey
A.J. Healy finished writing Tommy Storm in 2002. However, many publishers turned down the book because Healy was not a well-known author. Four years later, in 2006, he decided to publish 5,000 copies of the book himself.
Because Healy had limited money, the book's sales relied on people telling others about it. After 3,000 copies were sold, Quercus, a publisher in the UK, bought the rights to republish Tommy Storm. So, in March 2008, Tommy Storm was officially relaunched to a wider audience.
