CAMERON AND THE SHADOW-WRAITHS

In Cheverton’s second middle-grade fantasy novel in the Order of the Stones series, Camp Pontchartrain’s attendees battle a powerful demon and his monstrous army.

After 12-year-old Cameron Poole arrives at Camp Pontchartrain in Louisiana, his anxiety kicks in. Last summer, he and his friends in the Order of the Stones (Karl MacArthur, Leonard O’Malley, Elisa Jarreau, and Bobby Longbottom)battled to save Earth from Malphas, the Demon Lord of Agartha. Now, Cameron sees sinister images in the trees: “A shadow slid to the side. It moved with a wrongness to it.” Despite his unease, he keeps this fact to himself. After breakfast, Mrs. Chakoté, the camp’s director, tells members of the Order of the Stones to see Mr. Wallace, the groundskeeper, to learn magic. Mr. Wallace is also a Finder, someone who can use Earth-magic to locate things. Once again, each child hasa different chakra stone imbued with Earth-magic, and as they each learn to control the magic, it becomes evident that the evil General Kaz-aTul is lurking and plans to help Malphas escape the Void, where he ended up after last summer’s battle. The two villains later use shadow-wraiths to attack Earth, and they kidnap Jessie, Cameron’s childhood friend. Kaz-aTul tells Cameron he must go to the Swamp of Forgotten Souls or Jessie will be thrown into the Void. The kids embark on a journey to the swamp, where they experience successes and losses. In this series entry, Cheverton effectively has Cameron dealing with his anxiety by using techniques learned from his psychologist, including a Mantra Against Fear. The author also instructively continues the stories of Leonard and Elisa, who deal with parental expectations as they figure out what they enjoy doing, rather than simply what’s expected of them. The narrative skillfully models children acknowledging their feelings without being preachy. Young readers will find the characters to be relatable and hopeful.

An exciting adventure with realistic characterization that will engage readers.