Mary Hershey’s new book - Love and Pollywogs from Camp Calamity - is a great, great, GREAT summer read! We’re so excited to share it with you in this Kidzworld summer book review!
Camp Calamities
Anyone who’s ever had summer camp adventures will really love – and probably be able to relate to – this book. In Love and Pollywogs from Camp Calamity, the main character, Effie, is a fourth grader who is going to her very first year of summer camp (remember how nervous/excited you were when it was your first year at camp?). Well, Effie’s a pretty typical kid, with an older sister that bosses her around, a group of great friends and one mean girl who doesn’t really like her. Effie’s also got big plans for her first summer at camp – she wants to win the Outstanding Camper of the Week award. Unfortunately, there were a few minor details she didn’t plan on, like getting altitude sickness - otherwise known as homesickness.
Summer Camp
Sister Trouble
Effie’s problems seem to get even worse when her bossy big sis, Maxey, arrives at camp. Maxey’s sworn up and down that she won’t talk to Effie the whole time they’re at Camp Wickitawa - and she does a pretty good job sticking to that promise and totally ignoring her kid sis. But even with the silent treatment, having Maxey around proves to be not much fun at all for Effie.
Food Fight & Sink or Swim
To top it all off, Effie quickly discovers she can’t stomach camp food (why, oh why does the mac and cheese have to come with peas in it? Can’t the camp chef just leave those little green things out?), and isn’t the strongest swimmer. Could things get any worse? Of course they can! But you’ll have to read Love and Pollywogs from Camp Calamity to find out how!
Mmm...Smores
About the Author
Mary Hershey has a number of fond memories from Camp Talaki, which now rests at the bottom of a big lake not too far from her home. She swears she had nothing to do with that! What she loved best about camp was her afternoon snack, reading, getting benched from swim class and mail call, because she never gave up hope that her mom would send her a one-way bus ticket home. (She did send marshmallows, and an encouraging note.)
Get it now: Love and Pollywogs from Camp Calamity
