Compelling Tween Books Set at Summer Camps

This is a fun summer camp story starring Phoenny and her friends spending their last summer at SCCWEE, a camp for Chinese cultural enlightenment where kids can be immersed in their culture and bond with other kids of Chinese descent. This year, there are some changes with some new kids who’ve been adopted from China and seem unhappy to be at camp. There are also plenty of crushes, camp drama, and a racist incident on the camp’s social media account. This is a really robust, summery book with a large cast of characters that might be overwhelming for some readers. It’s also over 300 pages, so better suited for stronger readers. I liked it better on audio and Wang’s writing is enjoyable as usual, so if you loved The Many Meanings of Meilan, you will love this too. Grades 6+

Be Prepared is based on Vera Brosgol’s experience at Russian camp in her childhood. Vera is almost ten and now living in the US with her mom and her brother. They moved when Vera was still young, and though she understands Russian, she can’t speak as well. Her mother is back in school, and the family is living on a tight budget. Vera feels like an outsider with her American friends, who are more well-to-do and have slumber parties in their larger houses. When she tries and fails to fit in repeatedly, she decides that she will go to summer camp just as her friends do. This way, she’ll have something to say when they’re all sharing summer plans and experiences. However, the Russian Scout camp she and her brother are sent to is not at all like the American summer camp she envisioned. Gross toilets, snobby older kids, a lot of reading in Russian and tough outdoor conditions teach Vera much about life and friendships. This is a fun graphic novel about summer camp, friendships, Russian culture and traditions, as well as sibling dynamics. Grades 5+

Sisters Claire and Michelle were inseparable until middle school where Claire becomes proud and immersed in her Taiwanese heritage, while Michelle just wants to be “American” and fit in with her peers — even if they don’t really like her. That summer, when Michelle is looking forward to attending Jess’s party, her parents send her to a Taiwanese heritage summer camp where Claire is a junior camp counselor. There, she’s very resistant at first but starts making connections with other campers, especially another Taiwanese-American girl who just moved to the US a year ago. The kids do calligraphy, prepare for a talent show, do rope climbing exercises, and other campy stuff, all while being immersed in learning to speak the language. This was a fast, fun, summery graphic novel. It has the same sibling rivalry (though not as intense) as Duel and Sisters but a sweet resolution as Michelle learns to be herself and be there for her sister. Grades 5+

In Camp by Kayla Miller, Olive is excited to be going to summer camp this year, especially since her best friend Willow is also going. She’s looking forward to doing camp things and making new friends. As soon as the girls arrive, Olive jumps right into the friend-making and activities, but Willow is as adept at making friends and instead wants to follow Olive everywhere. Worse still, she tries to hold Olive back from making other friends or joining different activities, becoming sulky and giving her the silent treatment when she does. At first, Olive handles things well, making compromises and forgoing opportunities to hang out with other campers just to keep Willow happy. Eventually, though, things start to get to her, and the girls’ friendship becomes strained. Will this ruin camp for both girls? This is a realistic and sensitive portrayal of a common friendship issue: clinginess. Besides the friend drama, this book also provides an immersive summer camp experience. Grades 4+

Max is a video-game-obsessed tween who’s qualified for the Gamerville finals when his parents decide that he’s too addicted to his devices and schlepp him over to Camp Reset, a technology-free camp where he’ll be stuck during the week of his Gamerville finals. There, Max gets thrown in the mix with campers Ari, Dylan, and Zazzi, who are dealing with upheavals in their own lives. Ari and Dylan are recovering from a falling out. Dylan has anger issues and bullied Ari in the past, and Zazzi is controlling and won’t let her besties do what they want and would rather stick to “tradition.” In all the mayhem, Max decides to break out of the camp for his finals. This was fun at times, but certain parts gave me pause, and it did feel a tad didactic, especially from Zazzi’s perspective. Still, I loved the camp vibes and the adventure, and the community and friendships, and the illustrations are lovely! Grades 5+

Eleven-year-old Abby is going to Camp Famous, but she has no idea. As far as she knows, her parents are sending her off to a sleepy sleep-away camp to (hopefully) make new friends. But when she arrives, she discovers it’s even better. She’s attending a fun summer camp with kid celebrities escaping the spotlight and constant paparazzi and new coverage. But as Abby starts to make friends at camp, she twists her personality and preferences to keep her camp friends interested in her. Plus, because she’s not a celebrity, finding and maintaining a cover story while being true to herself proves impossible. Will she make it? Camp Famous is a fun, insightful look at the impact of fame on kids and what it means to be a real friend. Grades 4+

Chirp was my first Kate Messner novel. Mia and her parents have moved to Vermont the summer after seventh grade to help look after her grandma. Before the move, Mia broke her arm falling off a balance beam in gymnastics. Since then, she’s packed up everything related to the sport she once loved, deciding to call it quits. However, both Mia and her parents are in for a shock when they reach Vermont. Mia’s grandmother for one, doesn’t seem to need any care. In fact, she’s started a cricket farm! The only issue is that Mia’s grandmother is convinced that someone is trying to sabotage the farm — and there’s some evidence to back up her claims because weird disruptive things keep happening. Mia and her new friends find themselves caught up with solving the mystery of her grandma’s farm debacles while trying to develop business strategies to promote the farm and cricket demand. As Mia gets into day camp and begins making new friends, readers start to realize that there might be more behind Mia’s decision to quit gymnastics. Grades 6+

In Summer at Meadow Wood, Vic and her little brother have been sent off to summer camp for eight weeks. Although summer at Meadow Wood seems to be a regular occurrence, Vic is convinced that the reason they’ve been “shipped off” this time is different. Besides, things are going poorly between her parents. As a result, she’s not excited to be there. Still, she tries to make it work, reconnecting with her friends in Yarrow camp while trying to be a good camp sister to a younger camper, Vera. When her mom says she doesn’t have money to pay for canteen for Vic and her brother, Vic starts working at the farm with one of the camp owners, Earl. She also goes with him to the market — which she gets paid for. Eventually, Vic learns more about the state of her parents’ relationship and forms closer bonds with everyone at camp and even a certain boy at the market. This is an excellent follow-up to Tan’s debut novel, set in the same universe. Grades 6+

In Coming Up Short, Bea is winning at being a shortstop, finally making headway with her crush, and is excited to go to summer camp with her friends when her dad’s legal license is suspended in a town scandal. Suddenly, she develops a case of the yips and begs her parents to send her to another softball summer camp on Gray Island, where her mom grew up. Throughout the summer, Bea learns more about her parents’ previous marriages and other secrets. This is a sporty, summery, and serious coming-of-age story about a girl dealing with difficult emotions and circumstances. Grades 6+

Magic Pointdexter is her family’s “ugly duckling.” Her father is an ex-NBA player, her sister a famous cheerleader, and her late grandmother was also a ceiling-shattering cheerleader. Magic is awkward, chubbier than your typical cheerleader, and loves sweets more than anything else. But she’s decided: she’s going to cheer camp to try her hand out at becoming a Honeybee. Her best friend and child star Capricorn is coming with her (mostly for moral support — Cappie is an athletic, talented dancer). But once they arrive at camp and get sorted into teams by ability, Magic and Cappie’s friendship starts to show cracks. This is a feel-good summer camp story perfect for fans of friendship stories, summer camp tales, and coming-of-age books. Grades 6+

Mirror to Mirror is the story of twins Maya and Chaya, who, although opposites, are inseparable. While Maya is quiet and reserved, Chaya is outgoing. Both girls also share a few similar interests, the top of which is their love for music. They even share friends, although they each have a different best friend. Suddenly, Maya starts to pull away from Chaya, and the two begin to fight more. Concluding that her sister needs space from her, Chaya starts trying to distinguish herself — getting a pink streak in her hair, dropping music, and trying a new art form. But the girls keep butting heads. When matters come to a head, their parents send them off to camp together with the aim of resolving their conflict. There, the girls decide to pretend to be each other (walk in each other’s shoes), and whoever can keep the ruse going longer will get to decide where they both attend high school — the main thing they keep arguing about. But will this pact work? Or is there more to their fights than meets the eye? This is an immersive middle grade verse novel about sisterhood, friendships, anxiety, and the imperfections in family. Grades 5+

The Firefly Summer follows young Ryanna who gets sent to a family summer camp with her her mother’s extended family — who she hasn’t seen since her mom died when she was three. Ryanna goes to camp hoping for a low-key situation where she can spend time in peace and quiet with her grandparents but is surprised to find a slew of aunts, uncles, and cousins at Camp Van Camp. After a rocky start, she starts to learn more about her mom, even discovering a treasure map she created as a kid and reading the detective novels she used to enjoy. But when she discovers that the campgrounds will be torn down by a developer, Ryanna and her cousins have to band together to save the day. This is a summer-infused middle grade book about family, summer camps, and learning more about a deceased parent. Grades 5+

Yumi, the book’s young heroine, wants to be a stand-up comic, but her immigrant Korean parents want a different path for her. When Yumi ends up in a comedy camp as a result of mistaken identity, she grabs the opportunity with both hands. This book is funny and relatable and features stand-up comedy, so if you have any young wannabe comedians, it will be extra appealing. Grades 5+

This is a poignant graphic memoir about Kathy McCleod, who is half-Thai and half-American. Caught between cultures, Kathy constantly feels out of place as she lives in Thailand but loves American food and spends summers in Maine. During one summer trip, her parents send her to summer camp, where she faces ignorant questions about life in Thailand and struggles to make friends. Slowly, Kathy begins to realize that families look different, and she can find belonging even if hers doesn’t look like other peoples’. I loved this slice-of-life graphic memoir, and I think it will be especially meaningful for third-culture kids, biracial kids, or readers who struggle with belonging because of a mixed heritage and upbringing. Grades 5+

I just got my hands on this eARC this week and I’m already a quarter of the way through. It’s a brilliantly woven multi-timeline story about the six-year friendship (and its breakdown) between Eowyn and Jules anchored by their summers at a musical theater camp. This story has everything from friendship to family drama and a hint of mystery as readers figure out what went wrong with these girls. Grades 6+