Camp So-and-So

This is a weird and wonderful book.

It ostentatiously tells the story of a group of girls who are mailed invitations to attend a summer camp, and who accept these invitations, ready to head off to what they assume will be a week full of smores, songs and sleeping under the stars.

But this story goes places they, and you,will never see coming.

The mysterious narrator had me guessing from the start, as did the unique structure of the book, set up as if it was being run as a play (though the chapters are in prose, not script). There's the group facing off against their rich archenemy camp across the lake, the group running from a murderously mad former camper, the group on a heroic quest, the group who seem to have found their soulmates, and show more the group just trying to survive as their cabin turns against them.

McCoy plays with popular narrative tropes from both movies and books, and gives readers a fabulous Cabin in the Woods-esque feel, where we know from the start that our expectations and understandings of human nature are being toyed with by a talented writer who has so much more going on than meets the eye. show less

Twenty-five girls head off to camp for the summer. In five groups they have their adventures, like girls at summer camp do. But everything seems a little *too* perfect, and something seriously weird is going on. And why is this book structured like a play?

There's so little I can say about this book without spoiling the fun. It's like seven stories packed into one, with everything connecting and intertwining and much more than it seems. At first there were a few bits of the story or writing that annoyed me, but by the end it turns out everything had a purpose. This is the best book I've read in awhile, and I highly recommend it. It's hard to point out a book to compare it to because there are so many different stories going on at once. show more I'm very much looking forward to reading more by this author, and I also really really want to read the fake book series that all the girls in the book are obsessed with. show less

This was a totally expected book for me. I picked it up because how can you not want to read it after that summary??

- I loved how each of the five cabins got their own mini adventure and they all came together in the end. It made the story SO much more fun and each story had pieces to the final puzzle in them. Each story was very different from the other but since they were all set at this same camp they all fit together perfectly. It was a lot of fun to read.

- There was also a spooky sounding narrator that popped in every once and a while to either give us some background information or fun comments. It was a really cool way to write the story but I think it'll be hit or miss with people. I thought it made the story a little funny at show more times but it was also a great way for the narrator to give us information about the characters that we might not have known otherwise.

- My only complaint was that I found the middle section to be a little boring. Nothing that made me want to give up reading but I also didn't mine putting the book down for a while. It's not the 'on the edge of your seat' kind of book. It's more of a subtle story with a puzzling mystery mixed it. It was definitely different from anything I've ever read.

- Bonus points for having a diverse range of characters while not being the key point of the story. One character struggles with the other kids knowing she likes girls while another mentions how she doesn't fit in because of the colour of her skin. Both very real problems kids have today but luckily both characters found their place at this camp. Isn't that what camp is supposed to help you do after all?

- If you like a lot of character development in your stories then this isn't the book for you. There's lots of characters and they're all great but this is a very plot oriented book and it's meant to be that way. show less

"This quest is not a summer's game.
It is not safe, it is not tame.
Consider this before you pack -
Some of you may not come back."

This was a fascinating and interesting story with the love for summer camp, quests and villains, but also the fun fantasy magic and horror. There were so many twists and turns, I was glad it was broken into acts. And even though the cast was huge (5 cabins with 5 each counselors, counselors in training and many others) - it was easy to keep track of the because each chapter was labeled a Cabin number and the symbol to associate with their story line. The whole book was also broken into Acts, to know when major events were happening and when the midway point was turning the plot.

I loved the twists and turns show more but I must admit my favorite was the end - when the narrator gave us the endings - good or bad - and let us know how it would all be in a far away time. Such a great way to end it all. show less

This is an...odd book. I finished it, and it was quite lengthy, but I'm not sure I would recommend it.

Twenty-five campers have been invited to summer camp. They are divided into five cabins. Each cabin has an adventure. Cabin 1 is participating in the All-Camp Sports and Follies. This is their chance to beat the posh campers across the lake and Kadie is determined that this will be the year they win. But is she really a returning camper? And are the rival campers even human? Cabin 2 is being stalked by a murderer...or are they? They're a disparate group but they can come together to survive anything - they hope. Cabin 3 is on a quest, united in their goal of discovering a secret treasure. But perhaps they should have thought about it a show more little more before taking off into the woods... Cabin 4 has 4 best friends and one lonely girl who meet their soulmates, but they're not quite what they seem... and Cabin 5 is in serious trouble right from the start.

SPOILERS

So, the story is told jumping back and forth from cabin to cabin. People "die" (although none of the campers actually gets killed) and various chapters end on cliffhangers. Some of the campers are just focused on survival, some are working through personal problems and issues, some have realized that Something is Going On. Throughout the story, the theme of a popular series of girls' adventure stories is woven and readers also hear from a narrator, with more and more hints that everything is stage-managed. We never really discover the exact nature of the beings that are running the camp, but the implication is that they're some kind of faery since iron injures them. There is a conclusion of types; the narrator is freed, both from the creatures and her own mental prison, the girls are rescued more or less intact, and no mention is made of the fate of previous campers and personnel who didn't survive their summer adventure.

This is certainly intriguing, and I continued reading to the end of all 413 pages to see what happened, but I found myself fervently wishing that the story would get on with it at several points. It's not really a horror story, although people are attacked frequently, not really a fantasy although magic does exist, and not a love story although kisses are exchanged. One story line follows a girl who is panicked that her cabin mates will discover her soulmate is a girl, but it's not the focus of their plot thread. Several descriptions imply racial diversity, but it's rarely specified. Ultimately it's a weird and unique blend that I think would have done better if it had been about 100 pages shorter.

Verdict: A good story, but I can't think of an audience - it would have to be one that is comfortable both with first kisses, spider monsters, and narrow escapes from death as well as soul-searching. That's kind of a limited field. Also, it's over 400 pages long. I enjoyed it, but can't quite recommend it. I'd say it's an additional purchase for a specific type of middle school reader.

ISBN: 9781512415971; Published 2017 by Carolrhoda Lab; Borrowed from another library in my consortium show less

That was one of the most unexpected books I have ever read. I'm glad I took a chance on it. I thought it was going to be some ya horror camp trope but it's not in the slightest. For those readers who don't like horror (including myself), this is actually a fantasy novel. And that's all I'll say about that.

I would like to add the more that I think it's interesting that the narrator's dilemma actually becomes the readers' as well. Reading this book felt like I was the one looking in all the mirrors (that won't make sense unless you read the book).

Another YA book that, like [book:Greenglass House|18222716], is just a little to cute by half, a little too in love with itself. Still, it's a rousing read.