Like a great summer camp, this tale evokes the best of the past while setting the stage for something new.
An only child discovers her boisterous extended family—and a real-life treasure hunt.
Eleven-year-old Ryanna and her dad have been on their own since Ryanna’s mom died 8 years ago. So when her estranged maternal grandparents, the Van Camps, invite her to spend the summer with them, she’s surprised—and her curiosity is piqued by the opportunity to learn more about her mother. It’s no quiet summer alone with her grandparents, though; Camp Van Camp, the site of a former summer camp, is also bustling with cousins, aunts, uncles, a potential treasure, and a real crisis. A noteworthy addition to a long line of rambunctious literary families, the Van Camp clan reflects the makeup of many contemporary families; they’re primarily White but also include Korean American, Black, South Asian, mixed race, and gay members. Matson, the author of multiple young adult books, sets a quick and compelling pace in her debut middle-grade novel. The mysteries that Ryanna hopes to solve, from what happened between her dad and her grandparents to the secret of a decades-old map, propel the story, while the intergenerational rapport and humor among the family members give it warmth and weight. Each of the characters, even the least sympathetic ones, is lovingly drawn, and their shared experiences of disappointment, loss, and joy ring true.
Like a great summer camp, this tale evokes the best of the past while setting the stage for something new. (family tree) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781534493353
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 7, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs.
The Heffley family’s house undergoes a disastrous attempt at home improvement.
When Great Aunt Reba dies, she leaves some money to the family. Greg’s mom calls a family meeting to determine what to do with their share, proposing home improvements and then overruling the family’s cartoonish wish lists and instead pushing for an addition to the kitchen. Before bringing in the construction crew, the Heffleys attempt to do minor maintenance and repairs themselves—during which Greg fails at the work in various slapstick scenes. Once the professionals are brought in, the problems keep getting worse: angry neighbors, terrifying problems in walls, and—most serious—civil permitting issues that put the kibosh on what work’s been done. Left with only enough inheritance to patch and repair the exterior of the house—and with the school’s dismal standardized test scores as a final straw—Greg’s mom steers the family toward moving, opening up house-hunting and house-selling storylines (and devastating loyal Rowley, who doesn’t want to lose his best friend). While Greg’s positive about the move, he’s not completely uncaring about Rowley’s action. (And of course, Greg himself is not as unaffected as he wishes.) The gags include effectively placed callbacks to seemingly incidental events (the “stress lizard” brought in on testing day is particularly funny) and a lampoon of after-school-special–style problem books. Just when it seems that the Heffleys really will move, a new sequence of chaotic trouble and property destruction heralds a return to the status quo. Whew.
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 8-12)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3903-3
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2019
SEEN & HEARD
A warm bundle of holiday cheer.
In a funny, feel-good tale, 12-year-old twins separated at birth meet by chance and try to pull off a family switch during the December holidays.
The girls, who are cued white, agree that it would be a delicious prank, but each has a personal motive, too: Aviva Davis, who was adopted by a culturally Jewish mom and a Black dad who was raised Christian, wonders what it’s like to celebrate Christmas. Budding author Holly Martin, who was adopted by a white-presenting single mom, sees a golden opportunity to gather experiences for a school writing assignment about facing her fears. In a plot as sweet as a Hanukkah jelly doughnut and twisty as a Christmas cinnamon roll, the pair just manages to bail one another out of a string of sticky situations—both hilarious and otherwise. They both learn something of the customs and meaning of the two holidays while working through tears and laughter—not to mention conflicts sparked by their very different personalities. Everything culminates in a holiday performance at a local senior center that will have readers rising up to cheer them on. Though their history remains tantalizingly mysterious, for the protagonists, who narrate alternating chapters, it’s mission accomplished and more: Aviva emerges feeling more secure in her Jewish identity, while anxious Holly discovers unexpected depths of courage.
A warm bundle of holiday cheer. (song lyrics) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 29, 2024
ISBN: 9781250360670
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
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