KIRKUS REVIEW
Cheverton’s middle-grade fantasy series starter shares a timely tale of childhood anxiety about a young camper assisting in a battle to save Earth.
Cameron Poole has only two real friends at Camp Pontchartrain, where he’s the “smallest sixth-grader”: self-confident, tech-oriented Bobby and the always-encouraging archery enthusiast Elisa Jarreau. His bullies include new kid and baseball team captain Karl Macarthur, among others. However, Cameron finds an unlikely ally in football team captain Leonard O’Malley, who comes to his aid when hassled by soccer players. Mrs. Chakoté, the camp director, shares that the campers will soon witness a “Super Blood Moon” eclipse; around the same time, Cameron sees a “creature no bigger than a small child…its skin dark red. Tiny wings stuck out from its back, short stubby horns jutting up from its head, and its eyes glowing like two burning embers.” It isn’t long before Cameron learns that Camp Ponchartrain is not what it seems; in fact, it contains a doorway to a parallel universe known as Agartha—and Mrs. Chakoté is on a mission to stop Malphas, Agartha’s Demon Lord leader, and his minions from invading Earth. The anxious Cameron and his friends soon find themselves helping Mrs. Chakoté to stop the Agarthan threat.
Over the course of Cheverton’s well-crafted story, he offers engaging insights into childhood anxiety and strategies for working through anxious moments, including helpful exercises such as box breathing (“breathing in for five counts, waiting for five counts, exhaling for five counts, then waiting again for five counts before repeating”).
And there’s evocative imagery that draws readers into Cameron’s world: “The buzzing in my head morphed from a collection of bees to a hive of angry hornets.” The protagonist’s internal struggle and the battle against the Agarthans are seamlessly intertwined; the tale may give hope to young readers that they, too, can successfully deal with anxiety.
A compelling fantasy adventure with intriguing self-help elements.
See the review on Kirkus’s website by clicking HERE.