Reviewed by Audrey Davis – Independent Book Review

An earnest reminder of courage and honesty

Cameron Poole, an apprehensive sixth grader at Camp Pontchartrain, struggles to fend off bullies while staying ahead of his own anxiety and negative thoughts. He and his friends find themselves mocked daily, which only adds to the nerves and feelings of disappointment.

To make matters worse, supernatural creatures from a parallel dimension start appearing, and Cameron finds himself physically and mentally fighting new forces alongside friends, both new and old, as they attempt to save their summer camp from the clutches of evil.

"‘Heroes may not be braver than anyone else. They’re just braver five minutes longer.’ […] You think you can be brave for five more minutes?"

Mark Cheverton paints a landscape of magic, distress, friendship, and strife in Facing the Beast Within: The Anxiety of Cameron Poole. As the first of a new series, it’s an exciting burst onto a new scene; it kept me on the edge of my seat with uncertainty and begs for more installments—soon!

The characters are honest and comical at times. Readers will enjoy watching Cameron and his friends grow through their experiences and creativity while striving to help those around them in the process.

It is refreshing to see the characters developing and learning about themselves alongside each other, as kids at summer camp normally might, as opposed to self-contained discoveries. Each character has their own motivations for which camp concentration they’ve chosen and their own brief background, and each is important to the plot. When they all find themselves abruptly thrown into the midst of conflict, they must step up to the challenge in their own way.

"Everyone needs friends, and the funny thing about friendship is, you can get it whether you like it or not."

In addition to the fast-paced plot, Cheverton uses Cameron’s anxiety to demonstrate some tried-and-true coping methods from psychologists. This includes breathing exercises and many different mental distraction activities. I was pleased that the presence of these methods did not detract from the overall story; rather, including these in the book not only provides them as tools for kids and pre-teens to use in daily life, but it also offers visibility, inclusion, and normalization of these issues and coping methods.

I also like the distinction made between the version of fear anxiety creates and actual fear. Anxiety is an issue many people deal with, and it is important to teach healthy ways of managing one’s own thoughts.

"There’s always a choice. All of us can decide who we want to be and how we want to be seen by others. The trick is having the courage to make that choice."

I would happily recommend this book to young fantasy fans, especially those who may be doubting themselves or their abilities. A clear message and healthy coping habits on top of a fun story make this book a good teaching tool, both as class reading or independently; young readers can engage with the story in more ways than one.

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.

Facing the Beast Within: The Anxiety of Cameron Poole is a novel in the adventure, mythical fantasy, and social issues subgenres and forms the first installment of The Order of the Stones series. Intended for young readers in the middle grade and lower end of the young adult reading age group, it is penned by Mark Cheverton to give a more accurate representation of the different kinds of anxiety that young people face. Offering a stellar adventure involving mythical creatures, a summer camp, and a supremely dangerous Demon Lord, our hero Cameron must meet all of this and his biggest fear, his anxiety, to save the day.From the beginning of this fantastic and engaging adventure tale, it’s clear that Mark Cheverton has done extensive research, development, and emotional consideration when creating the story of Cameron Poole. His true heroism comes not from the dangerous creatures and the folklore-laden plot around him, although this is, in itself, excellent, but from the everyday triggers that threaten to bring uncontrollable anxiety into his life. He learns and adapts along the way so that he not only survives his adventures but comes out all the better for them. It struck me how apt and useful this story would be as a classroom read, both to support students who already have similar anxiety issues to Cameron and even more so as a learning tool for those without anxiety conditions to learn empathy for others. Overall, Facing the Beast Within is a fantastic, emotive, and multi-layered adventure that will satisfy young readers everywhere. I can’t wait to see more from this enthralling and socially conscious series.