Camp Chaos by Meredith Badger (go girl series)
What it’s about:
Sophie is a girl stuck between two friends. Megan is her oldest friend and Alice is her newest. Megan likes reading magazines, talking about clothes and make-up, and Alice likes running around and playing games. Megan doesn’t like Alice and Alice doesn’t like Megan.
Sophie find this hard enough, but when they all end up sharing the same tent at camp, things get very uncomfortable!
What is it like?
This is the first book I’ve read in the Go Girl series (an Australian series for those who care). It’s a bit of fun, with problems to which I imagine young girls can relate, and quick, happy solutions. It emphasises good values (with the exception of Sophie sneaking chips from the kitchen) and explores positive and negative emotions.
How are adults portrayed?
Unusually, adults are portrayed in a uniformly positive light. Teachers and Sophie’s parents are all seen as emotionally mature and safe, even though Sophie thinks her Mum, while not directly in the story, is embarassing at times. Being a parent, I was happy about that. However, there is also realism in the background. Sophie’s parents are no longer together, and she lives with each parent half a month at a time which reflects something of the family situations of many kids today.
Overall…
All in all, I think it is a good book for my girl to read. Aimed at 7 year olds and above and a mere 90 pages, it doesn’t present heavy or complex plots, but there are things in there that, if I was inclined, I could talk to her about, or, as she sometimes does, she can ask me about.
I might even pick up another Go Girl book to see if the rest are as good.