(click on title to listen to the podcast)
Summer camp. Just hearing those words stirs up all kinds of wonderful memories of my days as a camper, whether it was day camp through the Boys and Girls Club or sleep away camp with my Girl Scout Troop. Early morning polar bear plunges, singing by the campfire, eating just the chocolate and graham crackers for my s’mores because marshmallows are gross, being covered in dirt from head to toe and not caring one bit, secret training sessions with Bill Murray so I could unexpectedly bring victory to my team in the color war competition - yep, those were some of the best summers of my life and, as an adult I'm still a tad smitten with the idea of kissing my regular life goodbye for a few weeks to commune with the great outdoors (providing there are real showers and toilets, of course). Since we are in the thick of summer vacation, I thought it only appropriate to spotlight some fantastic novels aimed at eight to twelve year olds that take place at camp.
Welcome to episode eleven of Happy Reading, a podcast about fabulous middle grade books that all have something in common. I'm Sarah Threlkeld, an elementary school librarian, former 6th grade reading teacher, and recent first time attendee of nErDcamp in Parma, Michigan. If you are an educator who is passionate about literacy, nErDCamp is a little slice of heaven in the middle of the summer. It inspired and challenged me, and I left a better librarian. I can't wait to implement ideas people shared and maybe even plan a nErDCamp for the Pacific Northwest. Alright, enough nerdy gushing; let’s talk about books!
Any book that contains the line “Oh dear, I believe I have a leech in my underpants.” is probably worth reading. Spy Camp by Stuart Gibbs is the perfect blend of humor and action, plus it has plot twists I didn't see coming. It's the sequel to Spy School, but you don't need to read that book to enjoy or understand this one.
The school year is coming to a close for Ben Ripley and he is looking forward to hanging out at home with his non-spy buddies for a few months. Unfortunately, the CIA has other plans for him. He's sent to spy camp in the middle of nowhere to beef up his wilderness survival skills, but within an hour of his arrival he is contacted by SPYDER, an evil organization that is trying to recruit Ben to the dark side. He has twenty four hours to agree to work for them and if he refuses he will be killed. Well Ben is certainly not a traitor so, with the help of some of his friends and a rather inept CIA agent, he tries to track down SPYDER and thwart its evil scheme. Of course, nothing goes according to plan and everyone’s lives are suddenly at stake. How in the world will Ben save the day and why exactly is SPYDER dead set on recruiting him? You'll have to read Spy Camp to find out. Here's an excerpt from Ben’s first morning at camp after a restless night.
Excerpt - pages 84-87
Of all the camp books I read for this episode, Camp Rolling Hills by Stacy Davidowitz is the one that aligns most closely with people’s idea of a typical summer camp. Kids spend their days making arts and crafts (I’m still a tad bitter that I never learned how to make a braided plastic lanyard), playing sports, going on nature hikes, preparing for the talent show, and playing pranks on other cabins. Stephanie, who goes by the nickname Slimey, looks forward to camp all year and can’t wait to reunite with her cabinmates. Bobby, who gets stuck with the unfortunate nickname Smelly, is attending Camp Rolling Hills for the first time and has pretty low expectations. He'd much rather be at home, despite the tension between his parents. Will Smelly’s newfound friendship with Slimey change his outlook or will he end up heading home early after he’s embarrassed in front of the entire camp? What secrets are the two campers keeping from each other and why? The book is narrated by both characters and there are letters from other campers interspersed with the regular text, so readers are exposed to a number of different perspectives. There are several gross out moments, as well as sweet ones that celebrate the bonds formed at camp. This is the perfect book for fans of realistic fiction who want to feel like they’re hanging out with your typical tweens at a traditional sleepaway camp. Romance does play a fairly significant role in the plot, so if you aren’t into all that mushy stuff yet, I’d postpone reading Camp Rolling Hills for a year or two. Here are two excerpts that shed some light on Bobby and Stephanie’s feelings about camp in those first few days.
Excerpt - pages 22-24 and 59-61
Six weeks at the Summer Center for Gifted Enrichment? Ten-year old Gabe can't think of a better way to spend his summer! He is bummed that he’ll miss out on getting to know his new stepbrother Zack, but spending his days writing poetry, solving math proofs, conducting scientific experiments, and prepping for the mental and physical challenges of the Color War are worth the sacrifice, right? The two boys meet for the first time before Gabe leaves for camp and it's obvious they don't have a lot in common. Zack is athletic, has tons of friends, and struggles in school. Will Zack make fun of Gabe’s nerdy interests? He doesn't want to take the chance, so he lies about the type of camp he's attending and omits a lot of information about his time at SCGE from the letters he sends to Zack. Can he keep up the charade all summer or will Zack find out the truth? If Zack knows that Gabe’s a nerd will they still be friends? Nerd Camp celebrates the nerd in all of us and reminds readers that being honest with yourself and others is always the best choice. Here's an excerpt from chapter seven when Gabe meets his bunkmates for the first time.
Excerpt - pages 40-43
Camp Greenlake is not your typical summer camp and I don't know anyone who would voluntarily go there except poor, naive Stanley Yelnats. I was in college when the Newbery Award winning Holes by Louis Sachar was published and at the time I hadn't discovered the brilliance of middle grade fiction. Luckily, a coworker thrust the book into my hands when I became a teacher. It’s so compelling and so expertly written that I’m pretty sure I read it in a day. On the surface Holes is the story of a teenage boy named Stanley who pays a high price for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. If you dig a little deeper, though, it's really a multilayered tale of family devotion, friendship, racism, greed, and the power of the written word. Oh, and a terrible curse that plagues people for generations. Here’s chapter one, which will give you a sense of the horrors that await Stanley when he gets off the bus at Camp Greenlake.
Excerpt - pages 3-4
Those are just four wonderful middle grade books that take place at camp. If you spend the school year dreaming of campfire sing-alongs and canoe trips around the lake, you may also want to get your hands on The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, which I spotlighted in episode eight. A significant part of that book takes place at Camp Halfblood, which is as awesome as it sounds. The fourth book in the hilarious and action-packed Lunch Lady series of graphic novels also takes place at summer camp. I recommend reading the books in order because there is a story line woven throughout the series, but if you want an immediate taste of camp, there's no harm in jumping right into Lunch Lady and the Summer Camp Shakedown. I also have to mention Salute Your Shorts by Thomas Hill and Steve Slavkin, a book I read several times when I was a kid. And for all you older listeners that is the book that inspired the classic 90’s show on Nickelodeon of the same name. Sadly, I think the book is out of print, but maybe your library has a copy.
Well, dear listeners, I hope I have scratched your literary summer camp itch. Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Happy Reading! As always, you can find a transcript of the podcast at my website, happyrdng.blogspot.com, along with links to all of the books I mention. I’m also on Twitter as WordNerd153 and would love to hear about your favorite camp titles. If you enjoy this podcast and want to spread the Happy Reading love, please take a minute to write a review on iTunes. It will help other book nerds discover the show. Now, I think I’ll whip up a pitcher of bug juice, slip into a pair of flip flops, and enjoy a book in the shade. Until next time, happy reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment