Summer Camps Books

It was an informative book, but from the minute I opened the package I could see that it was meant for a younger or less mature reader. Not to say that it wasn't a helpful book. It does have some great tips for a child who is going to camp for the first time. I must admit that some of them were rather helpful to me. This book would be perfect for a child who was going to camp for the first time and, for that, I would highly recommend having.

My daughter enjoyed reading this book. There are certain points in the text where the reader has to decide what they want to do. Based upon their decision, the reader then is directed to the next page in the book. The reader can take a different adventure each time they read the book. Most children that are 3rd grade and up would enjoy this book.

Twelve-year-old Lydia and her older sister, Gina, are spending a summer at Camp Bigelow while their mother is studying art abroad. Less interested in making friends and learning new skills at camp the protagonist is haunted by doubts about her new role in a single-mom family. Getting little help from Gina she is left to find her own way to cope with adolescent hostility, unfriendly bunkmates and an irresponsible counselor. It all comes when two sisters approach camp with a different set of expectations and disparate coping skills; fortunately, Gina rises to the occasion at one point to verbally defend Lydia's.

Arriving at camp with excessive emotional baggage Lydia cannot accept the finality of her parent's divorce; in fact, she cherishes a secret dream that Dad will miraculously show up on Visiting Day. However, Lydia must deal with more immediate issues in her steamy, micro-environment:
oddball bunkmates and a ditzy counselor. Carla seems to court shy Lydia
for temporary friendship, but Carla has curious ideas about what constitutes good sportsmanship. Karen, on the other hand, is regularly tormented by Carla, who quickly pushes her into retreat mode. Despite Karen' smelly persona and miserable personality Lydia finds herself drawn to her--even though she was actually warned not to hang out with her

Feuer's characters are predictable and somewhat stereotyped--particularly the director, Uncle Freddie, and immature Dawn. Can one rely on Camp Justice to be fair to all involved in the theft of a ring? Readers follow through a straight forward plot along with the girls' tangled emotions and selfish motivations. Is this the right place for Lydia to mature; will she be ready to accept a one-parent household by summer's end? Or will her experience there result in her conclusion that the season was simply Lost? Readers who enjoy stories in a camp setting might try: HOLES, THE GOATS, BLESS THE BEASTS AND THE CHIDREN, and a 1950's tale which inspired Disney's Micky Mouse Club: MARTIN MARKHAM.

Woops, I bought this thinking it would be a helpful book about summer camps, but it turned out to be a coloring book about Barbie working at a summer camp.

Peterson's Guide called Make Summer Count: Programs & Camps for Teens & Kids appears to have superseded the old Peterson's publication entitled Summer Opportunities for Teens and Kids (which was voluminous, comprehensive, and extremely helpful, but seems to be no longer published). At best, Make Summer Count can be described as skimpy, with only a very few options for a given type of activity, and very little information about each option. One could get much more inforation with even a cursory on-line search. I feel that Make Summer Count is practically worthless, and I would strongly recommend that you save your money and not buy it. (Peterson's should revive its Summer Opportunities publication.)

There's no index. There is no breakdown by geographical area, camp type, program length, cost, or any other factor. The lengthy "directory listing" in the back of the book contains nothing but contact information, which is also available (and is in some cases easier to find) on the Internet. The "in-depth descriptions" section covers just a fraction of the camps in the directory listing and contains no information not supplied by the camps. (The "in-depth" section is also divided, for no obvious reason, into two separately alphabetized but unlabeled sub-sections, making the book harder to use if you are looking for information about a particular camp.) The first 40 pages of the book contain perfunctory how-to-choose-a-camp material that you could have written yourself off the top of your head: "Could there possibly be a camp where you can sculpt a masterpiece and water-ski? You bet!" But there is no way to use this book to find camps like that -- or any other type of camp -- unless you read every listing and personally contact every camp in the directory.

I like to be generous with these book reviews, but this book is just a big waste of time. It is all fluff, even though the author tries to redeem it by having a sweet little sidestory of friends helping friends. The book is written in a hip manner that I probably could've read when I was in second grade. I can see how it might appeal to girls, because it has a nice, "frog-to-Prince-Charming" type of ending, but I strongly advise against reading it.

I was disappointed in this small book, written exclusively for young girls. This is not a book for parents hoping to find the right camp for their child or prepare their children for sleepaway camp. Instead, it reads like a teen magazine, full of horoscopes, hairstyles, and dating advice. "So what if the boy you've had your eye on hasn't given you the time of day? Don't dispair (unless, of course, it's the last day of camp--then you've missed the boat, girlfriend)."

There's even more unhelpful advice, such as, "Some of you may get homesick, and what better way to combat that sickness than with a little sugar-cookie scented candle?" I don't think I want my daughter at a camp that lets kids burn candles in their tents, or where getting a boyfriend is the goal. I cringed when I read advice on all the different types of cabin raids to conduct, and the emphasis on clothing and fashion is overdone.