Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Campfire Mallory
Illustrator: Jennifer Kalis
Fiction Series
For ages 7 to 9
Lerner, 2009 ISBN: 978-1580138413
Mallory, her brother Max, her neighbor Joey, and her best friend Mary Ann are all going to camp for two weeks. Though Mary Ann, Max, and Joey are all really excited about going to Camp Blue Lake, Mallory is less sure that this going away from home business is a good idea. What if she doesn’t like the kids in her bunk, and what if her counselor is weird?
As they travel to camp in the bus, Mallory allows herself to hope that perhaps going to camp won’t be too bad after all. There are some nice girls on the bus, and if Mallory is with Mary Ann, surely it can’t be too bad.
The problem is that Mallory is not with Mary Ann. The best friends are put in separate cabins, and their two groups, the Kool Kats and the Lucky Ducks, have different schedules. To make matters worse, Mallory’s bunkmate is a girl called Carine Green who very quickly starts to irritate Mallory. Mallory knows that she should give camp and Carine “a chance,” but she is so busy feeling annoyed and upset that all she notices is that camp is not turning out to be the fun experience everyone talked about.
Going to camp can be great fun, but it can also be a little frightening. Being away from home, having to make new friends, and having to learn how to get along with complete strangers can be challenging. In this very honest Mallory title, Laurie Friedman shows her readers how important it is to have a good attitude about going to camp. Using Mallory’s own voice, she captures the emotions that Mallory experiences, giving her readers a front row seat to Mallory’s camp adventure.
