I Want to Go Home!

The book that changed my life was (and still is) I Want to Go Home, by Gordon Korman. I first read it when I was in 6th grade after checking it out from the Duluth Public Library.
I Want to Go Home is the story of Rudy Miller, sent to Camp Algonkian Island (or, as he calls it “Alcatraz”) against his will as a reward from his parents. Rudy hates camp, wants to escape to go home and be lazy all summer, and wacky hijinks ensue, especially when word gets out that Rudy is the best athlete at camp, and represents camp’s only hope to beat their bitter rival.
When I first read this book as a 12 year old, I wanted nothing more in the world than to be Rudy Miller: to go off to camp, be secretly amazing at everything, and to have grand show more adventures trying to escape. This led me to ask my mother if I could go to YMCA Camp Miller (our nearest local camp) for a week that summer. What you need to know is that at this stage in my life I was still so shy and got homesick so easily that I rarely even went to sleep-overs at friends’ houses. The idea that I’d leave home for an entire week to stay with strangers was about as radical of a suggestion that I could have made at that point.
I did go to Camp Miller that summer. I didn’t secretly excel at everything, nor did I end up wanting to have wacky hijinks trying to escape: it was too much fun. While I was there I realized that I loved summer camp, so I stuck around for a few summers and got a job there. Then I realized how much I enjoyed working with and around kids and young adults. Then I realized how nice it would be to have a job where I could work around kids and young adults and still have the summers off to go to camp. Factor in my love of books and reading, and that’s how I became a School Librarian and ended up at GCS.
18 years later, I continue to be unsuccessful in having wacky escape hijinks at Camp Miller every summer. I can say concretely that I would not be the person I am today, or doing the things that I do, had I not gone to camp, and I never would have done that without “the book that changed my life,” I Want to Go Home by Gordon Korman. show less

This was a re-read for me from decades ago. Perfectly details the horrors of summer camp ~ a typically over the top Gordon Korman story. The characters and their schemes are hilarious, as Rudy convinces his cabin-mate, Mike, to join him in his crazy plans. It's occasionally implausible, but I never saw a kid reading this who didn't laugh their head off.

Gordon Korman strikes again, with possibly the funniest book ever written about camp. Rudy Miller hates camp, but finds a friend in Mike Webster. This sounds like a bad after-school special, but Korman's dry wit and accurate depiction of camp life make this a farcical, laugh-out-loud adventure. Great for reading aloud. Totally hilarious.

I have read this book so many times that I have gone through three copies - three different covers shown as choices here! In spite of being able to recite passages off the top of my head, the hilarious moments in this book still make me laugh out loud - sometimes just if they are brought to mind, and when I'm not reading it. For any kid who ever went to camp, for those who wished they hadn't, and anyone who ever wished they could buck the system just enough to make people take them on their own terms, this book is a great choice.

I enjoyed this book in my childhood and I enjoyed it again as an adult. Gordon Korman writes a hilarious story of a boy who hates camp and will do whatever it takes to escape. I read it on the subway and laughed out loud. This is a great book for a parent to read to a child and is sure to spark the interest of reluctant readers. As an adult you appreciate the frustration of the counsellors who have to deal with such a problematic kid and as a kid you just want to be at that camp laughing at Miller's antics. If your kid liked Diary of a Wimpy Kid he/she will LOVE this book!

I found this book in the library of my school and it was rated "humor". This is one of the few books that's actually funny. The author, has an interesting way of making you laugh. This story is about a kid named Rudy who is a natural athlete. However, he hates sports. So, his parents sent him to a summer camp in Algonquin Island that's full of sports. This results with Rudy and his new friend Mike trying in to escape camp. Each time he fails and each time, his camp counsellor is chasing him down. This story has a very interesting plot.

One of the funniest books that I have ever read. Rudy is desperate to escape from the horrors of summer camp and drags his bunkmate Mike into his crazy plans. It's absurd and over the top like all Gordon Korman stories, but the characters and their schemes are hilarious.