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Monday, March 26, 2018

Clod Makes a Friend by David J. Pedersen (Review & Giveaway!)


This fantasy tale of the enduring and heartwarming friendship between Clod and his friend Ada was a delight to read. Check out my review and enter to win a copy and more!

Book Details:

Book Title: Clod Makes a Friend by David J. Pedersen
Category: Middle-Grade Fiction, 174 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Odysia Press
Release date: March 2018
Tour dates: March 26 to April 13, 2018
Content Rating: PG (There is no bad language, but there is one "boss fight" scene.)

Book Description:

Best Friend Ever?

Bullies love to hate Clod. Not just because he’s bigger, clumsier, and uglier than his classmates - he’s also the only student in his school without magic. In a world where all magic is possible and everyone else is born with great gifts to do amazing things, Clod is alone.

Living with his mum in a broken-down cottage on barely enough, the only thing Clod has to play with is the clay she occasionally brings him. Bleak is an understatement. More than anything, Clod wants a friend. The only way that’s going to happen, is to make one himself.

After an angry visit from the worst of the bullies, his teacher Learned Yugen, Clod’s clay sculpture of a little girl comes to life and introduces herself as Ada. For a clay girl barely the size of his hand, she has more confidence and courage than he knows what to do with. Every adventure she leads him on gets Clod into trouble. She may be the friend he wants, but is she the friend he needs?

After many years, and too many pranks, Yugen becomes convinced that Clod is tainted by the evil slowly infiltrating the Kingdom of Pag. Especially when Ada isn’t the only one Clod can bring to life.

Clod Makes A Friend is a bittersweet fairy tale for all ages from David J. Pedersen, author of the Angst series of fantasy novels.

My Review:
Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

This fantasy tale of the enduring and heartwarming friendship between Clod and his friend Ada was a delight to read. Clod is a clumsy big kid who lives with his hardworking mom who loves and understands him. They lead a simple life, do not have much in a material way but have a strong bond. Clod doesn't have any friends, is bullied at school both by other students and his own teacher, and treated as an ugly stupid kid. But Clod is gentle, kind and gifted in a way that supersedes the other kids, although he has yet to discover this.

I enjoyed this tale immensely. Friendship, self-sacrificing love and looking beyond skin deep to find beauty are strong themes in this book. Clod is a great character. One cannot help empathize with him, feel his loneliness and insecurities. His mom is his champion and although poor and uneducated, she teaches him good life lessons. Ada is delightful and mischievous, and oh so unpretentious! She sees what Clod fails to see about himself and she helps him to be courageous and to believe in himself. Every kid should have a friend like her.

The ending is bittersweet and brought tears to my eyes. Clod Makes a Friend is a great middle-grade fantasy novel that emphasizes the unique strengths and gifts we all have amidst our weaknesses. It teaches good life lessons with a good story and memorable characters. The book cover's artwork perfectly displays the characters in a pivotal scene. I just loved it and kept looking at it as I read the book. A beautiful story full of action, drama, humor and friendship!

To read more reviews, please visit David J. Pedersen's page on iRead Book Tours.


Buy the Book:

About the Author:


David J. Pedersen is a native of Racine, WI who resides in his hometown Kansas City, MO. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He has worked in sales, management, retail, video and film production, and IT. David has run 2 marathons, climbed several 14,000-foot mountains and marched in The University of Wisconsin Marching Band and written 4 fantasy novels. He is a geek and a fanboy that enjoys carousing, picking on his wife and kids, playing video games, and slowly muddling through his next novel.

Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook


Enter the Giveaway!
Ends April 21, 2018

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10 comments :

  1. What a great cover! Looks like a nice read!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Janet, thank you for your kind words. I wish my cover artist, Alessandro Brunelli, had a web site I could share, because he creates miracles from the terrible stick figure drawings I send him. :)

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  2. Thank you for the great review, and for featuring Clod Makes A Friend! Also, I love your site :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by David! And I'm so glad you like my site.:-)

      Delete
  3. Thanks for this delightful feature and wonderful giveaway which interests me greatly. So special and a real treasure.

    ReplyDelete
  4. It was a great read! I'm so glad I was able to be on the tour.

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  5. This sounds incredible! Would love to read while at the beach!

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  6. This really sounds like the type of book my daughter would like! I think even I would like it!
    digicats {at} sbcglobal {dot} net

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for commenting! I appreciate your feedback.

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