I've always wanted to go to summer camp. It had less to do with the singing and activities and more to do with the fact that I've seen Friday the 13th (1980) one too many times. The closest thing I ever go to summer camp was the time I went to Girl Scout Camp and made my mum come get me because they made me sing. So I almost felt like I could live through his book.

This was a great read! It actually made me sad because I would've loved to do the whole CIT and camp counsellor deals. It was an enjoyable read and I could almost imagine myself right in the middle of Whispering Pines. Although, I'm sure tit being well over 90 here also helped get me into the mood. There were cliches like with (almost) every young adult novel there has to be the mean girls and love triangles. Of course the nerdy bookworm had to have an inhaler, camp food fights and teens thinking they're in love by just making eye contact with a guy.

The only real issues I had with the story, is everyone was gaga over Sam's commercial. I get it, I really do, but I would have a hard time thinking that "Hollywood came knocking" after Sam did one commercial that she never truly wanted in the first place. And comparing herself to Jessica Alba was laughable. I know, its only a book, but it still annoys. I also didn't think there was big character development. Most the characters seemed one-dimensional and none truly seemed to grow from their experiences from camp. Or at least, I didn't buy into the growth. It seemed like a cop-out to wrap the book up.

All in all, it was an enjoyable read. Its not perfect, but its still something I would read again. I'm almost ashamed it took me thing long to read the thing. I'm interested in the second book, and I'm hoping my local library has it. ( )

This book made me fall in love with Jen Calonita's writing. Its a simple storyline but it was so pleasant to read. ( )

I really enjoyed this book!

I got it free from a Book Divas tweet, and was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it. It took me way back to when I spent 3 days at camp for a 6th grade camping trip, and it made me wish I'd gone to at least one sleep-away camp for a summer. I liked the ending a lot and I'm HOPING, really hoping that a sequel is in the works. ( )

great chick lit for the tween/teen crowd fast-paced, funny but also dealing with real time issues and it is well-written! ( )

Product Details

* Pub. Date: May 2010
* Publisher:Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
* Format: Paperback, 297pp
* Sales Rank: 79,899
* Age Range: Young Adult

* ISBN-13: 9780316017183
* ISBN: 0316017183

Sam decides that she is going to be a CIT (counselor in training) at a sleepaway camp called Whispering Pines because her best friend, the one that she does everything for, has a boyfriend that makes Sam feel like a third wheel. She is at a disadvantage though because she knows no one and everyone else seems to know each other. They have all been to camp before and she is the only new girl. Lucky for her, she finds a few great friends that help her through all of her trials through camp. These speed bumps happen to be from two boys, Hunter and Cole, and the camp queen bee, Ashley. This is a fun camp story that includes all of the great things from summer camp: a summer romance, sneaking out, pranks, a bit of rivalry, and many learned lessons.
This was a great quick read that lifted my spirits as I read through it. It reminded me of my few sleepaway camp stories. I’m sure that my friends that were always in summer camp would love it even more than I did. Calonita is always an excellent quick read. She is funny and overly dramatic all at the same time. This is perfect for younger readers that have short attention spans because there are a lot of little conflicts that keep the story always moving.
5/5 stars ( )