Check out your local library for fun reads in preparation for the summer!
Froggy Goes to Camp
by Jonathan London (Puffin, 2010) Ages 3 to 6! Froggy's off to camp! He packs a lot into one week: archery lessons, food fights, and scary stories around the campfire. But only Froggy could also manage to lose his trunks during swim class and overturn his kayak with the camp director in it. Froggy will keep his fans laughing with his latest antics.
The Berenstain Bears Go to Camp
by Stan and Jan Berenstain (Random House, 1982) Ages 3 to 6.
"Though Grizzly Bob's Day Camp looks exciting, Brother and Sister Bear are apprehensive. But after spending a few days trying things out, they discover they can have fun."--The Reading Teacher.
The Fabulous Bouncing Chowder
by Peter Brown (Little Brown, 2007) Ages 4 to 8.
When Chowder goes off to the Fabu Pooch Boot Camp, as usual he just doesn't fit in. Chowder tries his best, but his attempts to make himself more fabulous all fall flat. When the First Annual Fabu Pooch Pageant is announced, Chowder anxiously tries to think of a way to stand out. After all, the prize is a one-year supply of Snarf Snacks! Some pups practice their pearly grins, other hounds get massages to relax. One pooch even gets permed! But Chowder finds his calling when he discovers a trampoline. He leaps, he flips, he bounces, and he wows the crowd!
Wolf Camp
by Katie Mcky (Tanglewood Press, 2011) Ages 4 to 8 Young Maddie goes to Wolf Camp and comes back a little different. Sure, camp can change a kid, but chasing squirrels, growling, howling at fire trucks, and playing tug-o-war with her teeth? It's a little more transformation than Maddie's mom can handle. This original and funny picture book begs the question: Does Maddie have an overly active imagination or is something else going on? Hmmm, wonder what Bear Camp will bring.
Cowboy Camp
by Tammi Sauer (Sterling, 2005) Ages 5 to 7. A little boy who doesn't fit in at camp finds out just how valuable his non-cowboy skills can be. Every child will relate to the message, the humor, and the deliciously playful illustrations.
Giddyup, kids, and gallop right over to read this rootin' tootin' tale of an unlikely would-be hero. Avery's at camp, trying hard to saddle up and master his lasso, but he's just not like the other cowboys. He's allergic to the horses and can't stand the grub. But when a bully threatens all the campers, Avery proves his mettle in his own unique way. Young readers will have lots of fun with the story's lively language and wildly humorous pictures.
Camp K-9
Written by Mary Ann Rodman and illustrated by Nancy Hayashi. Ages 5 and up.
Yip yip hooray!
Roxie and her fellow dog campers are headed to Camp K-9 for all kinds of doggy fun. But Roxy has a secret: she s brought her blankie in her Pooch Pouch. If the other campers find out, they ll call her a puppy. Even worse, a mean Standard Poodle named Lucy seems determined to cause trouble and if Lucy sniffs out her secret, Roxy will really be in the doghouse.
All through the Camp K-9 activities, from Mutt Hutt high-jinks to Chow Hall chow-downs, from Splash Pals to Pup & Paddle, from building bone and stick houses in Barks & Crafts, to fur-raising tellings of The Haunted Mail Truck around the campfire , Roxie and her friends cower from the fearsome Lucy. Then Roxie discovers that Lucy has a secret, too...
Runaway Ralph
by Beverly Cleary (HarperCollins, 1991) Ages 7 to 11.
"The rousing notes of the bugle and the laughter and shouting increased the feeling of rebellion within Ralph. As the last strains of the bugle call hovered in the clear mountain air, Ralph made up his mind. He knew now what he was going to do. He was going to run away.
Fed up with his timid mother and uncle and his squirmy little cousins, Ralph hops onto his toy motorcycle and zooms down the road to summer camp. It turns out camp is not all peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and fun. A strict watchdog, a mouse-hungry cat, and a troubled boy named Garf lead Ralph on some fur-raising escapades. Perhaps home isn't such a bad place to be, if only Ralph can find a way to get there again.
Holes
by Louis Sachar (Yearling, 2000) Ages 7 to 12. Stanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnats. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys' detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the warden makes the boys "build character" by spending all day, every day, digging holes: five feet wide and five feet deep. It doesn't take long for Stanley to realize there's more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the warden is looking for something. Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment—and redemption.
The Summer Camp Survival Guide
by Chris Pallato and Ron Defazio (Sterling, 2010) Ages 8 and up.
Let the summertime adventure begin!
Whether they’re going to day camp, sleepaway camp, sports camp, dance camp, or any other kind of camp, this is the ultimate guide for happy campers! It’s brimming with fun ideas to help children have the time of their lives, including icebreakers, games, crafts, campfire stories, sing-along songs, and more. There’s advice on using a compass, winning camp contests, and keeping the homesick blues at bay. With charts, sidebars, tear-outs and postcards, plus time-tested information from two very expert authors, any kid carrying this book is sure to have an awesome summer.
How Tia Lola Saved The Summer
by Julia Alvarez (Random House, 2011) Ages 8 to 12. Miguel Guzman isn't exactly looking forward to the summer now that his mother has agreed to let the Sword family—a father, his three daughters, and their dog—live with them while they decide whether or not to move to Vermont. Little does Miguel know his aunt has something up her sleeve that just may make this the best summer ever. With her usual flair for creativity and fun, Tía Lola decides to start a summer camp for Miguel, his little sister, and the three Sword girls, complete with magical swords, nighttime treasure hunts, campfires, barbecues, and an end-of-summer surprise!
The warm and funny third book in the Tía Lola Stories is sure to delight young readers and leave them looking forward to their own summer fun!
Camp Out! The Ultimate Kids' Guide
by Lynn Brunelle (Workman, 2007) Ages 7 and up. Bear bags, wilderness showers, and telling the temperature by counting the cricket chirps...
Whether you're planning an over night in the backyard or a weekend in the wilderness, this book is packed with stuff to know. The basics, from gearing up to choosing a site to building a tarp tent. Tasty outdoor recipes: Solar Oven Pizza, Chow Down Chili and s' more's of course—with 8 variations.
Plus: how to keep a Field Journal, exploring the nighttime sky, creepy campfire stories, and when it's time to go home, leaving no trace. It's everything you need to pick up and head for the hills.
Sleepaway Girls
by Jen Calonita (Little Brown, 2009) Ages 11 and up.
When Sam's best friend gets her first boyfriend, she's not ready to spend the summer listening to the two of them call each other "pookie." Sick of being a third wheel, Sam applies to be a counselor-in-training at Whispering Pines camp in the New York Catskills. But what she doesn't realize is that it's not going to be all Kumbaya sing-alongs and gooey s'mores. If Ashley, the alpha queen of Whispering Pines, doesn't ruin Sam's summer, then her raging crush on the surfer-blond and flirtatious Hunter just might. At least she has playful Cole, who's always teasing her, but is oh-so-comfortable to hang out with, and the singular gang of girls that become fast friends with Sam-they call themselves the Sleepaway Girls.
“The Lightning Thief”
By Rick Riordan
(Disney-Hyperion) Ages 10 and up.
The first installment in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. After getting expelled from yet another school for yet another clash with mythological monsters only he can see, twelve-year-old Percy Jackson is taken to Camp Half-Blood, where he finally learns the truth about his unique abilities: He is a demigod, half human, half immortal. Even more stunning: His father is the Greek god Poseidon, ruler of the sea, making Percy one of the most powerful demigods alive. There's little time to process this news. All too soon, a cryptic prophecy from the Oracle sends Percy on his first quest, a mission to the Underworld to prevent a war among the gods of Olympus.
Agnes Parker-Happy Camper?
by Kathleen O'Dell Ages 8 and up.
The first thing Agnes and her best friend Prejean learn at science camp is that they won't be sharing the same cabin. Being apart gives Agnes a different perspective, and a few worries, about what others think of her longtime friend. Everyone seems to be going on and on about how beautiful Prejean is. A beauty queen? What if Prejean starts acting like one? Soil studies, camp pranks, and a weird bunkmate all play a role in this funny, insightful story of the everyday casualties and payoffs of growing up.
The Great Summer Camp Catastrophe
by Jean Van Leeuwen Ages 8- 12
Merciless Marvin the Magnificent and his gang, Raymond and Fats, are New York City mice through and through. But while raiding Macy's deli one day, they're suddenly gift-wrapped and shipped in a care package to a ten-year-old boy at Camp Moose-a-honk. Can they survive the wilds of Vermont?
Jenna's Dilemma (Camp Confidential)
by Melissa J. Morgan Ages 9 and up.
Jenna Bloom has been doing the whole camp thing for three years, but her identity as a practical joker is starting to wear thin. Natalie, Jenna, Grace, and Alex have all found themselves at Camp Lakeview for different reasons. And each is keeping a secret. But if everyone is hiding something, how will they ever become friends?
Letters from Camp
by Kate Klise Ages 8 and up.
Mom and Dad,
You've got to get us out of here! When you get this letter, COME IMMEDIATELY!
-- Charlie
The brother-sister pairs who arrive for the summer at Camp Happy Harmony are almost too busy fighting with each other to notice how strange the camp really is. Not only are the campers forced to wear bizarre uniforms, eat gross food, and do chores all day, but the members of the family that runs the camp fight constantly--with each other. Are the campers in danger? Or--in spite of sibling wars--do they need to stick together to solve the mystery humming under the surface of Camp Happy Harmony?
Summer Camp, Ready or Not!
by Sandra Belton
In the summer after fifth grade, friends Ernestine and Amanda go to two separate camps. Ernestine deals with problems of self-esteem while Amanda tries to cope with the fact that her parents are splitting up. How will their camp experiences turn out?
