Cold Tom

Cold Tom
Cold Tom  
Author(s) Sally Prue
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Genre(s) Fantasy novel
Publisher Oxford University Press
Publication date 31 January 2002
Media type Print (Hardcover, Paperback)
Pages 160 pp (first edition, paperback)
ISBN 0192718878
OCLC Number 48066457

Cold Tom is a fantasy novel by Sally Prue, published on January 31, 2002 by Oxford University Press and aimed at teens and young adults. Cold Tom won the Branford Boase Award and the Smarties Prize Silver Award both in 2002.

Plot summary

Tom is soon discovered by a young "demon" named Anna. Tom begins to quickly resent the girl, thinking that she is stubby, loud, and stupid. Also, he cannot understand Anna's attachment to her family and pet, Sophie. In essence, Anna represents everything the elves are not: ungraceful and loving. Tom, like all of the other elves, does not care about other people or animals, but simply about surviving.

Later, when Tom meets Anna's half brother, Joe, things grow worse. The emotionally hardened and distant Joe sees to testing Tom's abilities. At first, Joe just tests Tom's weight and body temperature, which is under freezing. But, Joe then becomes fascinated with Tom's elfin ability to become invisible by calling on the stars. When Joe forces Tom to try and become invisible while Tom is in a weakened conditions, the tool shed Tom has been living in bursts up in flames.

Tom flees, but does not get far. He is found by Anna and Joe's snooping neighbor, Edie. Edie takes Tom into her home, though he resents her help. She puts up charms to keep the murderous Tribe from Tom. Despite her protection, Tom still feels that he is going to die. Each day he finds himself growing weaker and more unlike himself.

With help from Anna and Joe, Tom is able to escape from Edie's home, but he then feels back into the forests of the elves. He is met by his elfin father, Larn. Larn pierces him with a spear. Anna, Joe, and Edie find Tom dying in the woods. Edie seems aloof to this fact and tells Anna and Joe to forget about him. Joe, fascinated by an elf woman nearby, does nearly this. Anna, on the other hand, stays by Tom and tries to help him get better. It is her persistence that saves Tom from dying and helps Tom turn completely human.

In the end, Edie turns out to be Tom's once-elfin aunt, Edrin. She was an outcast just as Tom was and tries to help him understand why he was different from the other elves. Anna and Joe also stay by and try to help Tom learn to be human. In the end, Tom seems accepting of the fact that he has given up the beauty of the elf world for the closeness of the human world.

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Cold Lake (album) — Cold Lake Studio album by Celtic Frost Released September 1, 1988 Recorded Sky Trak Stud …   Wikipedia

  • Tom Waits — en 2007 Naissance 7 décembre 1949 (1949 12 07) …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Tom Hooper — beim Toronto International Film Festival 2010 Thomas George „Tom“ Hooper (* 1972 in London) ist ein britischer Film und Fernsehregisseur. Hooper arbeitete zunächst im britischen Fernsehen, wo er vor allem als Regisseur von Historienfilmen auffiel …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Cold War Victory Medal — Awarded by (1) United States National Guard (States of Alaska and Louisiana) (2) Commemorative medal for veterans and retirees by purchase from private vendors Type …   Wikipedia

  • Cold Pizza — Format Sports Starring Jay Crawford Dana Jacobson Skip Bayless Woody Paige Country of origin …   Wikipedia

  • Tom and Chris Kastle — (formerly known as Privateer)[1] are a maritime music performing duo based in Chicago.[2][3] They first began performing maritime music in approximately 1977.[4] In the mid 1980 s they were known for running whale watching concert cruises on Lake …   Wikipedia

  • Cold Turkey (film) — Cold Turkey 1971 movie poster Directed by Norman Lear Produced by Norman Lear …   Wikipedia

  • Tom Salta — (Red Fear, Connecticut, EE. UU.) es un reconocido artista y compositor estadounidense de bandas sonoras. Ha compuesto bandas sonoras para varios videojuegos populares, incluyendo; Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 1 y 2, Cold Fear, Red Steel y Tom… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Cold Feet (U.S. TV series) — Cold Feet Genre Comedy drama Developed by Kerry Ehrin Starring David Sutcliffe Jean Louisa Kelly William Keane Dina Spybey Anthony Starke Alicia Coppola …   Wikipedia

  • Tom Piccirilli — Nom de naissance Tom Edward Piccirilli Activités Romancier, nouvelliste, poète Naissance 27 mai 1965 (1965 05 27) (46 ans) Langue d écriture Anglais américain …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”