Camp Sylvania: Moon Madness
by Julie Murphy and Crystal Maldonado
Intermediate, Middle School    Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins    256 pp.
5/24    9780063347267    $18.99
e-book ed.  9780063347335    $10.99

Camp Sylvania, no longer a “fat camp” and (hopefully) vampire-free (Camp Sylvania, rev. 7/23), is now under the direction of Luna Lupowski, lover of all things New Age, who makes the campers toss their toiletries and sunscreen in favor of mystical water charged by the moon. This year Maggie brings her best friend, Nora, along, and she’s thrilled they’ll get to experience camp together. Maggie can’t wait to search for the paranormal, but Nora’s perfect summer involves befriending edgy bunkmate Claire and going to the dance with a boy. Of course there is something weird going on: a camper disappears after an animal tore apart his cabin, and others develop an excessive amount of body hair. It’s up to Maggie and Nora to solve the mystery, while the really scary thing is that their friendship is growing apart. The first book’s fat-liberation themes are here exchanged for a message about accepting the bodily changes that come with puberty. Nora and Maggie take turns as narrators, their engaging voices giving insight into both sides of their middle-school friendship drama. Snappy dialogue and gentle poking fun at New Agey-ness (workshops include “Primal Screaming 101” and “Water Has Feelings Too!”) add to the humor.

From the July/August 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.