Tomas and the Magic Race Cars

Tomás is a nine year old Mexican-American boy whose life appears idyllic until his mamá makes a decision that rocks his world: she is divorcing his papá. She moves Tomás out of their comfortable house across the street from the abuelos he adores and into a cramped apartment a few miles away. Instead of enjoying his pets, racing his magical Ferrari Formula One cars, or playing with his friends, Tomás spends his time struggling to understand what has happened.

But the troubling surprises aren’t over yet. When his mamá’s new boyfriend moves in, Tomás feels confused and lost. This man, whose name is Roger, yells a lot and quickly begins to establish rules to control everything in Tomás’s life. He even goes so far as to change Tomás’s name to Thomas. He insists that Tomás and his mamá no longer speak Spanish. These changes make Tomás’s stomach ache and head hurt, but he resolves to find the answer to the chaos that is now his life.

Tomás’s search for understanding ends with a visit to Señor Eduardo García, his abuelo’s best friend. At the García’s house, animals watch from behind strange desert plants that grow out of the floor, and exotic birds chirp, but when Tomás turns to look for them, they disappear. Soft Mexican ballads can be heard everywhere but seem to come from nowhere. Everything about the García’s and their house is mystifying.

It is Señor García’s wisdom that Tomás has been searching for. He tells Tomás that no one can understand the affairs of the heart. Instead, what Tomás needs to do is his job: to be a child, to have fun, and to be happy. His most important advice is simple: “Follow what you love,” he tells Tomás. “There is magic in what you love.” What Tomás does with this new information will transform not only his life, but his papá’s as well.