  | Camp Sylvania (Camp Sylvania) Author: Murphy, Julie | |
| Price: $23.78 | ||
Summary:
Magnolia "Maggie" Hagen is determined to be in the spotlight ... if she can just get over her stage fright. This summer she has big plans to finally attend Camp Rising Star, the famous performing arts camp she's been dying to go to for three whole summers. But her parents send her to Camp Sylvania instead. After adjusting to the disappointment, the camp doesn't seem half bad--until campers start to go missing and other strange things begin happening after dark.
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 5.20 Points: 9.0 Quiz: 521221 |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (05/01/23)
School Library Journal (09/08/23)
Booklist (04/01/23)
The Hornbook (00/07/23)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 09/08/2023 Gr 4–7—Fifth grade is over, and this is the summer Maggie and her best friend, Nora, have been waiting for. Finally, it's time to go to Camp Rising Star, where Maggie hopes to get over her stage fright and perform in the camp musical. Maggie's parents spring different plans on her and insist she go to Camp Sylvania, a fat camp founded by the famous Sylvia Sylvania, with whom Maggie's mom attended fat camp as a girl. At Camp Sylvania, Maggie and her bunkmates become fast friends, and there's even a theater production to look forward to. However, things quickly become weird with a diet of strictly red foods, daily required blood donations, and creepy, mean counselors. When campers begin disappearing, and ghostly and vampiric appearances start happening, Maggie and her friends must stop the sinister plan. As the story unfolds, difficult topics of family acceptance and friendship issues are explored fully and satisfactorily. Murphy (Puddin', Dumplin') has created characters who experience all the usual tween feelings, from first crushes to confidence issues, with tenacity and determination. VERDICT Readers looking for a slightly spooky, fast-paced adventure with fully developed characters will delve into this one.—Michele Shaw - Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
Booklist - 04/01/2023 Maggie’s finally ready to leave for her longed-for performing-arts camp, but her parents have made other plans: she’s going to Camp Sylvania, a “wellness” (i.e., fat) camp. Maggie is furious, of course, but thankfully, her bunkmates are fantastic and she gets the lead in the camp production of The Music Man opposite her crush. But the counselors have some strange rules (they can’t enter cabins unless they’re invited in), campers start going missing, and there’s an unusually alluring blood bank near the cafeteria. Yes, it’s vampires, and Maggie and her friends must save the day! While the vampire plot drives the story, Maggie’s personal growth absolutely steals the show: instead of any weight-based bullying, Murphy focuses on the cheerworthy solidarity Maggie feels with her fellow campers, especially when they work together to push back against some of the camp’s more fatphobic practices, like public weigh-ins and banning the word fat. Readers of gentle horror will enjoy the eerier elements, and fans of contemporary middle-grade fiction will be delighted by Maggie’s realization that she’s perfect just the way she is. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.
