Jayben and the Golden Torch: Book 1

Product Information

Finding a world of clans that descend from old magic & someone who is draining their memories by taking magic away. If Jayben can find his own magic and ignite the torch with its fierce violet flame, his power will be unstoppable… Can Jayben save the world before the lights go out forever? This book starts with us meeting Ben, an unhappy boy who suffers from seizures. He is living with his aunt, who doesn't like him very much. After having a weird dream, Ben has a seizure and suddenly we find ourselves in another world. Here we meet Jayben, an elfling who wakes up with no memory of who he is or where he's from. Jayben goes on a journey to try to find his memories and on that journey he discovers that he is the Ninth Dreamer and the key to saving both the Earth and Elf world. He also makes friends with a group of beings who help him and each other to overcome their fears. If Jayben can find his own magic and ignite the torch with its fierce violet flame, his power will be unstoppable … Can Jayben save the world before the lights go out forever?

Jayben and the Golden Torch | BookTrust

The world of Jayben and the Golden Torch is rich with lore, flitting between our modern world and an elven world with magical powers, and the threat of a sinister villain who wants to make everyone forget. It is a classic children’s fantasy with fast-paced action and I cannot wait to see what comes next. My head was flooded with questions. Everything was new. At first, the questions were small and simple and very much in the present. What’s an ice-cream? How do I make that music play? Who are they? Then I pressed ‘skip’ one more time, and that’s when it happened – the most surreal moment of my lifeWaking up in a strange land, Ben finds he has no memories at all. Not even of his own name. But someone seems to think he is a long-awaited saviour for a world being consumed by greed and evil. If Jayben can find his own magic and ignite the torch with its fierce violet flame, his power will be unstoppable... Can Jayben save the world before the lights go out forever? There was a lot of action and at times I felt the story could do with a little slowing down. This was helped by the introduction of Jayben's medical condition which added another layer of interest to the story. For all the brilliant non-fiction resources there are to help a child cope with a brain injury and epilepsy, I believe they need help through fiction just as much. They need to see their difficulties faced by strong characters in stories that are not about the fact that they're disabled – books that any of their friends might enjoy just as much.

Jayben and the Golden Torch by Thomas Leeds - Coles Books Jayben and the Golden Torch by Thomas Leeds - Coles Books

I think this story could really do with a map at the beginning, laying out the world for the reader as it would be easier to visualise what we are reading. Jayben discovers that many moons ago, a giant put a dark spell on the golden torch, and the elves forgot everything that had come before. Now they hang precious memories in jars on trees, just to try to remember. But a new darkness grows among them. An evil villain called Null is burning down the forests, hellbent on finding the torch and becoming the most powerful being ever to live. If Jayben can find his own magic and ignite the torch with its fierce violet flame, his power will be unstoppable ...The author clearly has a massive imagination, with the world he has created filled with unusual creatures, delicious sounding food and a 5 different realms. I particularly lived the sound of Dropcorn and Gribblenuts (these gave me the same cravings as Silky's popcakes did in the Enchanted Wood when I was a child!) But could somebody like me, with such a terrible memory, really write a book? It seemed almost impossible, but not quite. And if something is not impossible, then you can do it. Jayben discovers that many moons ago, a giant put a dark spell on the golden torch, and the elves forgot everything that had come before. Now they hang precious memories in jars on trees, just to try to remember.

A moment that changed me: I lost my memories in a road

If Jayben can find his own magic and ignite the torch with its fierce violet flame, his power will be unstoppable ... Can Jayben save the world before the lights go out forever?

About Thomas Leeds

As I learned to live with memory loss and epilepsy caused by my brain injury, I rediscovered the magic of reading and I fell in love with stories set in fantasy worlds, where the heroes were confronted with the unknown. It was the closest I could get to seeing myself on an exciting adventure, because when you have memory loss, the real world is a mysterious place. Having researched the author on finishing the story I learned that he suffered a traumatic brain injury as a young adult and suffers from seizures and memory loss himself. They say to write what you know, and I think that is why this aspect of the story read very realistically. When twelve-year-old Jayben finds himself in a fantastical new world, he wonders what it all means: Jayben has blanks in his memory due to his epileptic seizures as a result of brain injury. Ben has lived with his unkind Aunt Samantha for six years. He has no memory of his parents or why they left him. In fact, he has no memories at all of the first six years of his life. And the brain injury that stole his memories also causes him to have seizures. I think there were just too many new names and plot ideas for the story to be easy to follow - every creature, place and food had a totally unfamiliar and unusual name, and whilst this was interesting it meant it interrupted the flow of my reading constantly trying to remember what was what!

Jayben and the Golden Torch - Hachette Childrens UK Jayben and the Golden Torch - Hachette Childrens UK

I hope that children living with brain injuries and epilepsy will feel encouraged by Jayben, the hero I've longed to see for many years. But I believe that his story, the first in a series for ages 9+, is for everyone, and its message of courage and hope will appeal to readers of all abilities.

Ben lives with his aunt who isn't especially nice to live with. He's not too sure what happened to his parents. I loved this book – a triumphant and richly imagined fantasy as well as a compelling insight into life with seizures and memory loss. I can’t wait to see where this story goes!’– Lee Newbery, author of The Last Firefox If your young reader is a fan of Francesca Gibbons and the Wizards of Once series, then Jayben and the Golden Torch will be right up their alley! I recommend it for children aged 9+. Armistice Day: A Collection of Remembrance - Spark Interest and Educate Children about Historical Moments Apr 19 2023 Jayben and the golden torch by Thomas Leeds Hachette, 2023. ISBN: 9781444968637. (Age: 10-14) Recommended.