Sam's Quest for the Crimson Crystal

By Ben Furman

Sam Mae Costas is nobodys idea of a hero. She is constantly teased about her thick glasses, her small size, and her asthma attacks are embarrassing and difficult to control. When Sam is forced to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0977873188
• ISBN13: 9780977873180
• Release Date: May 2007
• Publisher: Black Hawk Press
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.3" x 0.5" x 5.0"

Customer Reviews

Watch Sam shine

It has been quite some time since I have read a book classified as young adult and also quite some time since I have read something in the fantasy category so it was a pleasure to read this book by Ben Furman. There are quite a few things that I love about this book, but most of all I love the fact that the author portrays the hero as a young girl who is not what you would typically classify as a hero. She has asthma, is small for her age, wears big thick glasses, and is what you would consider a tomboy.Summer is here, and that means that it is time for Sam's parents to head off on their archeological expedition. It also means it is time to leave New York and head to Grandpa Paul's farm, the place where Sam will spend her summer. Sam loves her Grandpa, but would much rather go with her parents. Unfortunately, the still think she is too young. She is worried that this summer will be like every other, with some fun in the beginning, but with boredom setting in before too long. She couldn't have been more wrong!There have been questions about Sam's lineage from an early age. She looks nothing like most of her relatives, but does have an unusal characterisitic, a birthmark on her neck in the shape of a diamond. This birthmark seems to appear on relatives in Sam's family every 100 years...she thinks this seems too unusual to be just a coincidence. And she was right.Sam finds out that she comes from a long line of protectors of creatures no one in this world has ever heard of. She has experienced odd sensations while on her Grandfather's farm, but never dreamed it was due to the fact that there was a portal to another world rooted in his land. Not only does she have powers, she is truly a legend in the world of Prince Buznor. She needs to draw on the strength she has buried to find the Crimson Crystal so she can save the Awokian people from elimination. I am surprised and pleased to say that this book really held my attention. Even though it is geared towards a younger audience, the author does a good job of keeping the pace exciting. I would recommend this for young and old alike.

An Adventure to Keep You Turning Pages

Eleven-year-old Samantha "Sam" Mae Costas expects the summer at her grandfather's farm to be boring, as usual, unless she can find her own adventure. She never dreams she'll be expected to save a world, however. But on the second day there, Sam and Patch, her grandfather's dog, are exploring the nearby woods when she discovers a "tiny boy no bigger than her thumb" trapped in a spider web. She rescues the boy, and is soon caught up in a battle between the Awokians who live in Innerworld and the Zogs who the Awokians banished to Bottomworld some 1000 years ago and who now want to escape. The boy, Prince Buznor of Awok, has been looking for her. She bears the red, diamond shaped birthmark of the one who will keep their world from being destroyed. To do so, she must recover the Crimson Crystal that King Kaylan, Buznor's uncle, hid in a cave in the Land of Geffen, but the King and the Crystal have disappeared and without the crystal Innerworld is doomed. So begins the story of an unlikely heroine. Beginning with Sam's doubts in her ability to save the Aowks, to being ambushed by dwarfs, attacked by bats, and facing Drogon, leader of the Zogs she faces each challenge with courage to help her new friends. Who will win the battle between the Awoks and Zogs? You'll have to read the book to find out. Sam's Quest for the Crimson Crystal is an exciting adventure that proves you don't have to be the biggest, the strongest, or the bravest to be a hero. Young readers should enjoy traveling with Sam through the magical lands of this book, cheering for her when she succeeds, urging her on when she falters.

Review

Eleven year old, Samantha "Sam" Mae Costas live a normal, quiet life till she met Prince "Buzz" Buznor that fatal day on her grandfather's farm. Buzz comes from a place called Innerworld. Buzz is on a mission to protect his world from the Zogs and to defeat their leader, Drogon. Buzz needs Sam's help in order to complete his quest. Both Sam and Buzz travel to the Land of Geffen to begin their quest. Sam and Buzz go in search of the Crimson Crystal. It won't be an easy task as they will have to fight dwarfs and monsters; through the scorching heat and even the frigid tundra's. Who will come out victorious the Zogs or Buzz and Sam? To find out you will have to read Sam's Quest for the Crimson Crystal. Sam is your average, normal girl, who ends up going on a quest to Innerworld. Sam may not have any extraordinary powers like Harry Potter but she's still up for any challenge that comes her way. Because of this, I think that readers will fall in love with Sam. I thought that Sam's Quest for the Crimson Crystal was a cute, fun book that children would like to read. Don't be fooled by the size of this book; it may be small but author Ben Furman makes up for it by making sure there is lots of excitement throughout the book.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Eleven-year-old Sam Costas can't imagine anything worse than being stuck on her grandfather's farm while her archaeologist parents travel the world. The summer stretches out before her in an unswerving road of boredom, but unbeknownst to Sam, an adventure is about to come searching for her... Deep in the caverns below the farm, Prince Buznor, a young Awok, is on a perilous mission. He must find Sam and bring her back to Innerworld, where she is asked to complete a special quest. According to Awok legend, she is the only Outworlder who can locate and control the Crimson Crystal, the one weapon that can defeat the enemies threatening Buznor's people. To reach the Crimson Crystal, Sam and Buznor must travel through dangerous lands and face vicious monsters that threaten them as well as treachery from within their trusted ranks. Will Sam be able to overcome her fears and find the Crimson Crystal in time to save the Awokian world? SAM'S QUEST FOR THE CRIMSON CRYSTAL presents a conventional fantasy story, complete with a hero and obvious villains. The plot of the tale is predictable, but Ben Furman's execution more than compensates for it. Innerworld is a fascinating land with highly inventive creatures - I especially enjoyed the catacomb dwarfs. And though Sam is the typical misfit-turned-hero found in so many escapist fantasy stories, she is unique in that she retains all of her misfit qualities as she journeys through Innerworld; at no point does she shuck off her glasses, throw away her asthma inhaler, and effect a magical transformation into a Hero. At the end of SAM'S QUEST FOR THE CRIMSON CRYSTAL, Sam may be more confident, but she remains the same asthmatic, lovable Sam that readers will enjoy and identify with. Reviewed by: Rebecca Wells