Jayben and the Golden Torch: Book 1

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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. Jayben's seizures and memory loss added a different dynamic to the story which was a welcome change from all the action at times - it was about halfway through the book when he started experiencing absences that I became more invested in the character and the story.

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

Readers who enjoy an exciting adventure with added depth and intensity are sure to be captivated by this funny, heart-warming and imaginative voyage into memory, meaning and identity. 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. Is the Land of Roar real or imaginary? You’ll have to make up your own mind in this exciting and tense coming-of-age adventure that has echoes of Jumanji and Peter Pan.Inspired by the author’s uniquely personal experience of memory loss comes an incredible, immersive fantasy series about a boy with no memories and a world that only he can save.

Jayben and the An Action-Packed Fantasy: Read Our Review of Jayben and the

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 lives with his aunt who isn't especially nice to live with. He's not too sure what happened to his parents.

The moment I finished this book I had to sit quietly, as I was blown away by what I had just read. A modern classic of children’s fantasy with a necessary hero — a boy with seizures and memory loss. It’s a magical tale that explores family and friendship, collective hope and memory against hatred and greed, and bravery. I loved it. 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.

Jayben and the Golden Torch by Thomas Leeds | Goodreads

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.The story is rich and layered but we as the reader discover it along with Jayben, who has lost all his memories, but involves an elven world, magical powers, a cruel villain making everyone forget, and a race against time. It has all the trappings of a solid hero story. Since I woke up after my brain injury 20 years ago, it's been really encouraging to see what progress has been made on more forms of disability being positively represented in books. Finding a world of clans that descend from old magic & someone who is draining their memories by taking magic away.

Home | Thomas Leeds

I was very fortunate to have a family who supported me at home while I recovered. There was so much to learn and with every answer came more questions; soon, the questions became bigger and tougher. What am I going to do with my life? How can I get a job when I don’t remember school? Who am I, really? An evil villain called Null is burning down the forests, hellbent on finding the torch and becoming the most powerful being ever to live. 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 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 ... Libraries are places of comfort, friendly faces and opportunities. It’s an absolute privilege to do what I do”On my journey to recovery, I realised that I had a great imagination and I loved coming up with stories. Then I learned that, before my accident, I loved writing. Though I had no clear memory of this, it made sense and I dared to dream of being an author someday. But my brain injury had stopped me reading and writing and, between my unreliable memory and my seizures, achieving this dream seemed completely impossible. A curious, immersive fantasy with complex world-building, engaging characters and quirky creatures. Ideal for readers who enjoy an exciting adventure with added depth and intensity. 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. Waking 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. His aunt is busy berating him when he sees something in the room that shouldn't be there and then....stars