{Blog Tour: Review} CALVIN SPARKS AND THE CROSSING TO CAMBRIA by Rusty Anderson

ASIN #: B00PGC38KG

File Size: 3828 KB

Page Count: 270

Copyright: November 9, 2014

Publisher: Cedar Fort, Inc.

Book Summary:

(Taken from Amazon)

“I told you,” said Perry. “I told you we’d find it.” Calvin smiled and shook his head at Perry. 

“You were right, Calvin,” Anna said, standing in awe. “You were absolutely right.” 

For years, Calvin's grandfather has told him stories about a cabin deep in the woods that holds an amazing secret. Then one day Calvin and his two best friends find the cabin. Inside they discover more than just the world's coolest clubhouse. This is The Crossing—a magical portal that takes them to another world.

Soon all three are in Cambria, a fantastic world filled with bizarre people, wonderful food, real magic, and even dragons! There Calvin learns that his family has a secret history and he’s swept up in the same dangerous mission that got his father killed thirteen years ago.

Can Calvin, Anna, and Perry stand up to the evil sorcerer Galigore and his grotesque minions? Or is Calvin doomed to follow in his father’s footsteps? This epic adventure story is perfect for kids and parents alike. Full of action, adventure, mystery, and magic, it’s an entertaining read that will keep you guessing.

Mandy's Review:

Calvin, Anna, and Perry have been neighbors and friends for years. They do just about everything together, so it's only natural that the three of them would go looking for the hidden cabin Calvin's grandfather has told him about. It takes them several attempts, but when they find the cabin, they immediately fall in love with it and use it as their place to go during their free time. What the three friends don't expect is to see one of their teachers, Miss Jasmine, coming up through the floor inside the cabin. After Miss Jasmine leaves the cabin, the three friends come out from hiding and immediately go to the floor door and enter in to see where it leads. This is how/where they find the entrance to Cambria.

Calvin plays the leading role in this story as well as with his friends. He's often fearless, yet listens to his intuition. He's often ready for the next adventure, but desires the support of his friends before heading into the unknown. Calvin is an only child, which may explain why he wants his friends with him often. He lives with his mother and grandfather, his dad having been declared dead not long after Calvin was born.

Anna is Calvin's oldest friend and is a lot like Calvin in many ways. She's usually ready for the next adventure, she's intuitive, and she enjoys having her friends around as much as possible. Anna lives with both her parents, but they're not her biological parents. They adopted Anna when she was a baby and have raised her with a strict set of rules.

Perry lives in the house between Calvin and Anna and seems to be the third wheel of the group. He's slightly pudgy and enjoys food. Sometimes it seems he uses food as a crutch, which does concern me that a child reading this novel may think that's okay. It seems Perry is often jealous of Calvin and Anna's abilities. Things that are easy for Calvin and Anna are things that Perry often has to work hard to accomplish. Perry's the overly cautious member of the group. He's not as quick to be so adventurous as the other two.

The three friends together form a small dynamic that is appealing. The interplay between the three seems familiar and mostly friendly. It's easy to see how Perry may lean toward the dark side one day because of his jealousies and feelings of inadequacy. It's also easy to see that Calvin and Anna are fond of each other and may take their friendship into a more romantic realm when they're older.

Reading this novel immediately made me think of Harry Potter. I know it's hard not to be influenced by something so popular, but there really were quite a few similarities. The three friends, for one. The slowly budding romance between two of the friends. One of the friends being the natural born leader and, just so happens, the one with the most promising magical abilities. The use of wands in this novel. Harry had Dobby and Calvin has Trixel. Trixel isn't a house elf, but he is a magical creature popping up every so often to help Calvin in his journeys. Oh, and let us not forget the ability to become invisible.

Despite all of the similarities to Harry Potter, Calvin Sparks and the Crossing to Cambria really is a novel that most pre-teens would become quickly engrossed in. It's definitely a fun and easy read.


*An ecopy of this book was provided by the publisher for the purposes of this tour and in exchange for an honest review.