Lunch Lady and the Summer Camp Shakedown

A mysterious swamp monster threatens a summer camp’s fun, and the Lunch Lady is determined to get to the bottom of this case after the swamp monster messes with her kitchen. The fourth book in the Lunch Lady series, this graphic novel contains a light, enjoyable story. An introduction before the title page introduces the Lunch Lady, and other characters are sufficiently described to acquaint new readers to the series. While some of the main characters are developed with motives, a lot of the lesser characters fall into a gendered stereotype as being either obsessed with gross stuff or infatuated with a few members of the camp staff. Lunch Lady and her sidekick Betty save the day, complete with imaginative food-related fun gadgets and show more a conclusion reminiscent of Scooby Doo. The panels are created using pen and ink, with color digitally added later. Most of the illustrations remain in black-and-white, but with splashes of yellow and green for contrast. Panels convincingly communicate action, such as the swamp monster crashing out a window with at least five visual cues working to show what has happened. This graphic novel is recommended to children ages seven to ten. show less

In the fourth book in the Lunch Lady series, the crime-fighting cafeteria cook is now working at a summer camp for two weeks. Fans of the previous books will welcome the latest installment of the Lunch Lady's adventures as she and the campers investigate a serious of mysterious events that may or may not be linked to a fabled swamp monster. Krosoczka's monochromatic illustrations (with just a hint of yellow for accent) convey lots of action and dynamic scenes. Early readers may appreciate the combination of dialogue text and bold visual portrayals of scenes.

Casey Hassett
Graphic Novel

I related to this story because I remember clearly the feeling of going to summer camp and being excited to make s'mores, drink bug juice, go camping, and all of the things that go along with summer camp; the beginning of the novel portrays that perfectly when the characters are talking about their excitement for camp and what they are going to do there.

This book is about a lady named Lunch Lady. Lunch Lady hears about something suspicious. Is there a monster at day camp? Lunch Lady sets out to find out! This was not one of my favorite books because to me it did not seem very exciting. Although I do really like graphic novels, I did not find this one very interesting.

Great summer read!