Bastion: Guardian of Covington

J.J. Marro
CreateSpace (2012)
ISBN 9781478244707
Reviewed by Alaina Dixon (age 10) for Reader Views (7/12)

In his book “Bastion: Guardian of Covington,” J.J. Marro presents a classic story of good, evil, heroes, heroines, and villains.

Bastion is a frog, and as far as he is concerned he is living a very normal life for a frog in the village of Covington until, one day while on patrol for snakes that might harm the frogs of Covington, Bastion discovers a sprite – a magical fairy-like creature, with the name of Larien.  Larien warns Bastion of a wicked wizard whose true name is Draqur, the wizard of darkness and despair.  Bastion will soon learn more about Draqur, not from Larien but from an encounter with the dark wizard himself, who is plotting against the village.  Bastion knows he must warn the village of the evil Draqur, so he calls a meeting at his house to make an announcement to the villagers.  Bastion is not sure how to get the villagers to believe him, so he goes fishing at the pond, to give himself time to think.  Larien is afraid of the frogs, since she is so small compared to them, but when it is time for the meeting, Bastion has not yet returned, so Larien must make the announcement.  At first she decides to hide in Bastion’s little house.  Soon the village frogs knock on the door, expecting Bastion.  Instead they find frightened but brave little Larien, who tells the frogs about Draqur’s evil plans.  The frogs believe her, but Larien knows that one of the frogs is a traitor…if only she knew which one!  Meanwhile, the evil wizard Draqur’s plan may be going into effect sooner than the villagers expected…

My favorite part of the story was the part about how the community of Covington, with the help of the sprite Larien, was finally able to defeat the wizard.  (I won’t give too many details about this part, because I don’t want to ruin the fun for other readers!)

I would be delighted if “Bastion: Guardian of Covington” became a series, because I have highly enjoyed reading this tale of adventure.  The only complaint I have is that some of the illustrations were poor.  Sometimes the artist tried to put too much on one page, and it was a bit overwhelming.  Even though the illustrations are not as satisfying as they could be, this is still a lively and kid-friendly tale, full of adventure, action, a little romance and a hint of humor.

I would recommend “Bastion: Guardian of Covington” for ages 8 and up.  It has a style that many young readers and older readers alike can enjoy.

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