Boot Camp

This Young Adult fiction novel is on the Great Books for Children and Teens 2007 reading list. I'm not sure I would have picked it up if it hadn't been assigned to me to read, but I am happy I did!

'Boot Camp' has absolutely nothing to do with the Army. This story is far more sinister. The book opens with Garrett, a 15-year old boy, being "transported" to Lake Harmony. He's not sure what is going on, but it is soon revealed that his parents have sent him to this camp to "cure" him of his problems.

I don't want to give too much away, but I will tell you this book is not for the weak of heart. Author Todd Strasser cites his sources in the back of the book, explaining that the conditions and abuse Garrett endures at Lake Harmony are not just show more from his imagination; there are camps like this all over the United States. Children are sent away from their homes and force to comply with "rules" meant to turn them into the child their parents want.


Despite its dark story, this is a page turner. The chapters are just short enough that you convince yourself that you could read just one more. And then that chapter ends in a bit of a cliff hanger and you have to keep going! A disturbing page turner!

Originally posted on orangerful.vox.com show less

Reviewed by Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

It seems that every time I turn on the TV, there is some program about teen boot camps or wilderness survivals programs designed to straighten out even the most delinquent of teens. Todd Strasser, author of GIVE A BOY A GUN and CAN'T GET THERE FROM HERE, has written a book that takes the reader inside the boot camp experience.

Garrett is from a rich family and goes to a good private school where he is a straight-A student headed for an Ivy League college. He has experimented with smoking pot, but he's definitely not a "pothead." According to his parents, his one unforgivable offense is his sexual relationship with one of his teachers, a woman eight years his senior. show more According to Garrett, his choices just don't reflect what they want from his life. He thinks his grades and the fact that he stays out of trouble should be enough for them, but because of Garrett's refusal to end his relationship with the teacher, his parents send him to Lake Harmony.

Lake Harmony's staff practically guarantees success. They promise to take any wayward teen and make them the child their parents always wanted to have. On the surface this sounds like quite a deal; however, the teens learn quickly what lies beneath the surface. Lake Harmony offers nothing but torture, brainwashing, poor living conditions, disgusting food, and limited parental contact. Teens in the program spend anywhere from one to three years suffering in this boot camp until most are finally released with broken, damaged spirits.

Strasser takes readers inside the camp where they meet Garrett, Pauly, and Sarah. Although Garret hasn't been there as long as Pauly and Sarah, the three form a special bond and vow to escape before the camp kills them.

While reading BOOT CAMP, I found myself gasping at the abuse and needing to set it aside to digest the horrors visited upon these teens. The details are vivid and raw, and, unfortunately, probably more true than anyone would like to believe. Just as many of Strasser's books do, this one will stay with you long after you finish the last page. show less

Slightly disturbing look at what it takes to get through (sorta) boot camp when your parents send you. The writing and characters are wonderful and believable. I love that as an adult I can look at this book one way, as a parent another and if I try very hard, as a teen I can see it totally different. Brilliant.

It blows my mind that this fiction is based on reality; call me naive, but I never knew that parents could have their children sent to "boot" camps to correct their behavior. That said, Strasser does a great job of relating the story of Garrett, son of upwardly mobile parents who can't get him to do what they want him to do (stop dating his former teacher) so pay someone else to do it for them. The story starts out slowly, and in grueling fashion, with the story of Garrett's abduction and introduction to Lake Harmony, which is run by sadistic adults with the help of willing teen prisoners. It gets really interesting when Garrett and two others decide to escape. The ending was believable, but not predictable. Kids who like gritty show more adventure stories based in reality will enjoy this one. show less

At first I found this book unbelievable...what disciplinary program actually believes cutting kids down and abusing them builds them into better people? But the author cites his research and sources so apparently this is really happening across the country. The story finally picked up for me when Garrett, Pauly and Sarah make their escape.

Garrett doesn’t understand why his parents sent him to Lake Harmony, a “boot camp” for errant teens. He hasn’t done anything all that bad. Anyway, dating his teacher shouldn’t be enough to warrant his being exiled to a place in the middle of nowhere.
Before long, Garrett realizes he may never be able to earn his way out of boot camp, no matter how cooperative he is. After being beaten, verbally abused, and arbitrarily punished countless times, Garrett begins to realize that the only way he’ll see his eighteenth birthday is to escape the camp. But, how? To where?
One strength of the novel is its setting: a boot camp in a remote location that is a cross between a military facility and a prison is sure to peak the interest of any show more teen. Many teens are aware of boot camps and their purpose, as well as their possible dangers. Other strengths include the realistic dialog, as well as believable main characters.
Weaknesses of the book include camp staff characters that are a bit stereotypical and one- dimensional. There is also frequent violence and some mild verbal abuse, which may offend some readers. Overall, this book would be a good addition to any high school library collection, but not recommended for middle school due to the violence and language. show less

16 year-old Garrett is taken in the middle of the night by bounty hunters to a place he never knew existed: a teenage boot camp in the remote northern New York wilderness. Harmony Lake is a camp that brainwashes teenagers by any means necessary-- physical beating, torture, starvation-- so that the teens eventually believe they are wrong to disobey their parents. Teens live at the camp until they are completely rehabilitated, or until their 18th birthday-- or until they die from the torture, which has happened. The parents pay as much as $4,000 a month to send their children there because they're fed up with the way their teenager is acting. Garrett can't believe his parents would send him to a place like this. The only thing he can see show more that he did wrong was steal some money after they cut off his allowance, and his parents are absolutely loaded. That, and have an affair with his 24 year old teacher-- but he was in love, and knew that an 8 year difference wasn't a big deal to older people. However-- Garrett is stuck in Boot Camp and has to find ways to endure the experience while trying to maintain what he feels is his essential good-nature. The only chance of survival might just be escape. Based on accounts of actual teen boot camps, Todd Strasser's book is an engaging and eye-opening novel that will likely have students wondering how places like this can exist in modern America. This is short-listed for the 2009-2010 Gateway Readers Award in Missouri, and a novel that I'll recommend in book talks in my library. show less