Middle-Grade Books set at Summer Camp
Summer camp middle-grade books!
Yes, fall is getting closer, but summer isn’t over yet! Are you still trying to get in as many campfires, canoe or kayak trips, and s’mores in as you can before the leaves begin to turn? If so, these summer camp middle-grade books from authors like Jenna Lee-Yun, Gordon Korman, and Joanne Levy are perfect for you!
Camp Sylvania by Julie Murphy
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Magnolia “Maggie” Hagen is determined to be in the spotlight . . . if she can just get over her stage fright. This summer, though, 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 on the last day of school, her parents break the news: Maggie isn’t going to Camp Rising Star. She’s being shipped off to fat camp—and not just any fat camp. She’s going to Camp Sylvania, run by world-famous wellness influencer Sylvia Sylvania, who is known for her soon-to-be-patented Scarlet Diet.
When Maggie arrives at camp, things are . . . weird. There are the humiliating weigh-ins and grueling workouts, as expected. But the campers are also encouraged to donate blood—at their age! The cafeteria serves only red foods and the oddly specific rules change every day. There are even rumors of a camp ghost.
Despite these horrors, Maggie makes friends and starts to actually enjoy herself. There are even tryouts for a camp production of The Music Man! This place might not be so bad . . . until campers start going missing and other suspicious things begin happening—especially after dark. The camp ghost might be the least scary thing about this place . . .
The Firefly Summer by Morgan Matson
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For as long as Ryanna Stuart can remember, her summers have been spent with her father and his new wife. Just the three of them, structured, planned, and quiet. But this summer is different. This summer, she’s received a letter from her grandparents—grandparents neither she nor her dad have spoken to since her mom’s death—inviting her to stay with them at an old summer camp in the Poconos.
Ryanna accepts. She wants to learn about her mom. She wants to uncover the mystery of why her father hasn’t spoken to her grandparents all these years. She’s even looking forward to a quiet summer by the lake. But what she finds are relatives…so many relatives! Aunts and uncles and cousins upon cousins—a motley, rambunctious crew of kids and eccentric, unconventional adults. People who have memories of her mom from when she was Ryanna’s age, clues to her past like a treasure map. Ryanna even finds an actual, real-life treasure map!
Over the course of one unforgettable summer—filled with s’mores and swimming, adventure and fun, and even a decades-old mystery to solve—Ryanna discovers a whole new side of herself and that, sometimes, the last place you expected to be is the place where you really belong.
The Last Rhee Witch by Jenna Lee-Yun
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Since her mother died when she was five years old, it’s always just been Ronnie Miller and her dad. Two Korean Americans who, thanks to Ronnie’s dad’s adoption by white parents, have never felt all that Korean. But Ronnie is okay with that—as long as she has her dad and her best friend Jack, Ronnie is 99% certain she can get through anything.
But as much as she wants everything to stay the same, the world—and her dad—has other plans. Now, Ronnie and Jack are headed away to sleepaway camp for the first time ever. Camp Foster promises all of the outdoorsy activities that Ronnie has so far managed to avoid: ropes courses, scavenger hunts, kayaking on the lake. Ugh. But she can do this. As long as she has Jack.
As it turns out, an old manor in the woods is the kind of place that’s crawling with secrets. Secrets like a mysterious gwishin haunting the grounds, a blood-red scarf wrapped too tightly around her ghostly neck. And a witch-hunting dokkaebi intent on finding and silencing the last Rhee witch. And the strange habit all the counselors have of rhyming when they speak . . . just like Ronnie has begun to do lately.
For a girl who wants everything to stay the same, nothing is scarier than all the changes Camp Foster brings. New friends. New foes. Souls with unfinished business. And, possibly worst of all, revelations that disprove everything Ronnie knew to be true.
Second Chance Summer by Sarah Kapit
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Breaking up is hard to do, especially when it's with your best friend. Can these two ex-besties survive summer camp together?
Maddie and Chloe have always been best friends, until last year, when Chloe’s popularity and budding fame as an actor left Maddie in the dust one too many times. Their friendship is over, and they’re both ready to move on.
But when the girls arrive at summer camp, they discover that the universe isn’t ready to let go of this friendship just yet: they’re cabinmates, and each of them has to spend the summer with her ex–best friend. Is it time to try again, or are they doomed to drift apart for good?
The Dream Spies by Nicole Lesperance
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Maren's life has finally gone back to normal. Her sister, Hallie, is doing much better, she's still allowed to work in her family's dream shop, and there's been no sign of Obscura, the evil nightmare thief.
But when Lishta, Maren's grandmother, finds an ad for a sleepaway camp designed for dreamers, alarm bells start to ring. Lishta's never heard of the camp directors, and she's worried and wants to investigate. Maren and Hallie pose as campers with Lishta taking a job as the lunch lady.
Almost right away something seems off. Campers all wake up humming the same song, a whole bunk of girls does their hair the exact same way, and everyone seems to have had the same dream. And things go from bad to worse when Maren discovers most of the camp population has been sleepwalking.
As the girls investigate the camp, Maren and Hallie discover a nefarious plot that could affect the entire world. Maren will have to figure out who's really behind the camp and stop them from turning more dreamers in sleepwalking zombies, before it's too late.
Super Troop by Bruce Hale
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Cooper just wants to spend the summer before 7th grade drawing and having adventures with his best friend, Nacho. Anything to keep his mind off the fact that his dad’s new girlfriend and his mom’s announcement that she’s going to start dating.
But when one of his adventures with Nacho goes too far, Cooper’s parents freak out. Either he joins the Boy Rangers, a dorky club that’s all about discipline and rules, or that dream cartooning camp at the end of his summer? Will get erased.
At first it’s not so bad―the troop is a disorganized mess. But then a new scoutmaster starts. Mr. Pierce is a gruff ex-Marine who’s never worked with kids before, especially not a ragtag team of misfits like Troop 19. As he tries turning them into a lean, mean, badge-earning machine, Cooper longs for freedom. He doesn’t want to break the rules, but the rules are going to break him!
Zoey Lyndon’s Misadventures at Camp by Micheal Anderson
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Zoey and her bestie, Tommi, are hitting the trails! They’re attending Camp Whispering Pines, a five-night Engineering Camp Experience.
Things are off to a great start, and Zoey’s enjoying her camp friends and newfound freedom. But things take an unexpected turn when Zoey and her friends stumble upon an interesting discovery—the camp’s legendary One-Eyed Nelson is in fact a real person! And to make matters worse, Zoey makes a decision that places her and a cabin mate in danger, putting them both at risk of being dismissed from camp.
Will Zoey and her friends uncover the truth about One-Eyed Nelson? What consequence will Zoey’s decision have?
The Sun Will Come Out by Joanne Levy
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Twelve-year-old Bea Gelman and her best friend Frankie are planning the BEST SUMMER EVER at Camp Shalom―a sleep-away camp. But at the last minute, Frankie bows out, leaving painfully shy Bea on her own.
Just talking to strangers causes Bea to break out into ugly, blotchy hives. As if the hives weren't bad enough, Bea gets pranked by a couple of mean girls and is betrayed by someone she thought was a new friend. Bea has had enough! She decides to spend her summer in the infirmary far away from everything that's stressing her out. No more boys (including her crush, Jeremy), no more horrible mean girls, and no more fake friends!
At the infirmary, Bea meets Harry, a boy living with a disease that's way more intense than stress breakouts. Inspired by Harry's strength and positive outlook, Bea decides to face her fears―in a big way. The Sun Will Come Out is a funny and heartwarming account of a shy girl's first summer away from home, where she learns she really can do anything and that silver linings can be found just about anywhere.
Unplugged by Gordon Korman
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As the son of the world’s most famous tech billionaire, spoiled Jett Baranov has always gotten what he wanted. So when his father’s private jet drops him in the middle of the Arkansas wilderness, at a place called the Oasis, Jett can’t believe it. He’s forced to hand over his cell phone, eat grainy veggie patties, and participate in wholesome activities with the other kids, who he has absolutely no interest in hanging out with.
As the weeks go on, Jett starts to get used to the unplugged life and even bonds with the other kids over their discovery of a baby-lizard-turned-pet, Needles. But he can’t help noticing that the adults at the Oasis are acting really strange.
Jett is determined to get to the bottom of things, but can he convince everybody that he is no longer just a spoiled brat who is making trouble?
Camp Murderface by Josh Berk and Saundra Mitchell
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The year: 1983. The place: Ohio. The camp: Scary as heck.
Camp Sweetwater is finally reopening, three decades after it mysteriously shut down. Campers Corryn Quinn and Tez Jones have each had more than enough of their regular lives—they’re so ready to take their summer at Sweetwater by storm.
But before they can so much as toast one marshmallow, strange happenings start…happening. Can they survive the summer? Or will Camp Sweetwater shut down for good this time—with them inside?