Top Ten Tuesday: Summer Camp!

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

This week’s prompt: Summer Freebie

Hello everyone!! I was so excited about this post! I decided to do mine on Summer Camp themed books. I have always been interested in this concept of summer camp, thanks to movies like the OG Parent Trap, books, etc. At the same time, I was always questioning whether or not it was something real, because certainly no one I knew was ever doing anything like that! I also grew up in the wild 80s, and I watched and read so many scary books growing up – some of them set in summer camps. Like Sleepaway Camp, the Friday the 13th series. You know them. So I was excited to do this post about camp, and also, some camps that just would not be that fun to attend. (read that in a scary voice ok?)

And off we go! Let’s start off easy…

Yours Till Niagra Falls, Abby || There’s a Bat in Bunk Five || The Unplugged Summer

These three are all middle grade, non-scary books. I read the first two when I was a kid, and I don’t remember too much about them honestly, but I do recall reading them. The Unplugged Summer is a nonfiction memoir I read a few years ago, and I found the hoops that the author had to jump through to get a job as a camp counselor in the United States very interesting, as well as his experience.

The Lake House || The Box in the Woods || You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight

It is crazy to me that The Lake House is written by the same woman who wrote The Spellshop – such totally different books! I have this one on my TBR for summer.

The Box in the Woods is part of the Truly Devious series, which I loved (well all but that last book) This one was particularly interesting to me because of the summer camp tie in!

You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight, now this one – if you are looking for that slasher movie feel, look no further. The characters in this book are literally re-enacting scenes from a horror movie as part of an entertaining immersive experience, like a haunted house. It was fantastic.

Camp Creepy || The Girls from Hush Cabin || The Last Time I Lied

I think these Sinister Summer books look so fun! I haven’t read any yet but they are on my TBR.

The Girls From Hush Cabin was a pretty good thriller about girls who were inseparable as kids at camp, but maybe now don’t have as much in common. Until the camp counselor they revered dies and they realize it wasn’t an accident. They get back together to find out the truth, and secrets start to surface about those years at camp. It was a pretty good read although I think it sort of wandered.

And The Last Time I Lied was my first Riley Sager read, and it sucked me right in. It was so twisty turny and full of surprises. The main character is not super likeable and that added to the uneasiness of the book for me.

And finally, The God of the Woods, one of my most anticipated summer reads – and hopefully I get a chance to pick it up from the library today!

And that’s a wrap here today! I can’t wait to see what all of you have picked!

43 thoughts on “Top Ten Tuesday: Summer Camp!”

  8. Liz Moore’s book is supposed to be great. I hope you like it! I went to a few summer camps and was even a counselor for a few weeks. I’ve always loved being out in nature. Kids can be intense at summer camp, in good and bad ways, which is maybe why there are so many books about it.

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    1. That is amazing!! I am sure they are – away from home, having fun but probably also nervous, homesick, as well. Everything is probably heightened. And good for you for being a counselor!! That could not have been the easiest but probably very fun and rewarding!

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  9. Joanne's avatar Joanne

    I just read a few summer camp books that were super cute. I loved Until Next Summer by Ali Brady where they are trying to save the main characters summer camp by inviting adults to partake of weeks at camp. It was adorable. There is another one I am thinking of but for the life of me can not remember the name or the author! Gosh I hate that!

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    1. Riley Sager is so good!! I have a book by him on my nightstand but I didn’t want to start it before/during Wyatt’s EEG – it would have been too hard to put down! Lol. The Girls from Hush Cabin did have that sort of feel about it! It also reminded me of Pretty Little Liars, which I loved too.

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  11. I went to a camp in 6th grade that was put on by the school, but i don’t remember much about it, except being scared to go to the bathroom by myself in the dark (it was a distance from our cabin), and being so tired when I got home, LOL! I love that you centered your topic around camps. Have a great week.

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    1. Oh my gosh! I went to 6th grade camp and I didn’t even think about that when I made this post! Lol. I wanted to go home the whole time. The bathroom was at least in our building – that would have added another level of scary!

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  12. Summer camps aren’t really a thing here but I read loads of US-themed books around them when I was a kid. I’m pretty sure I read the Niagara Falls one!

    I just finished God of the Woods a couple days ago and I LOVED it.

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  16. Same here! Summer camp never seemed like something real people did, just something that was dreamed up for movies and books. I do like summer camp settings, though, especially if they’re a little creepy. I liked The Last Time I Lied, The Box in the Woods, and The God of the Woods. The Lake House is on my TBR list. Great list!

    Happy TTT (on a Wednesday)!

    Susan

    http://www.blogginboutbooks.com

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  17. We don’t have summer camps like those in the USA, probably because summer vacations are not as long.
    There are “tent camps”, but I don’t like camping and we never had to go.
    I watched one or the other summer camp movie, but don’t think I ever read a book.
    Instead, I always connected summer camp with the Peanuts! 😀

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    1. People go tent camping here too – I am not a fan. Every so often I think we should take Wyatt, and then I think about the kid I have, and know he would hate sleeping in a tent. But I still think maybe he should do it once, one night? It’s a struggle. Lol.

      Oh my gosh!!! I remember that! I should look that one up to watch with Wyatt during his recovery!

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  21. What a great topic! I spent years of my life going to day camp and then sleepaway camp. Looking back, I have some fond memories (horseback riding lessons!) and some not so fond ones (walking to a detached bathroom, no air conditioning in the cabins, etc.), but overall it was a good experience. This is such a fun list of all the different books featuring summer camp vibes, even if I’ve never read any of them. Thanks for this week’s dose of nostalgia, and so sorry for the super late comment.

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    1. Horseback riding at camp would have been awesome!!! What a cool experience that had to have been! I am sure that you are full of memories from all of your summer camp times. We are going to music camp with Wyatt next week, it is a day camp that is all music all day, so I guess he will have some day camp memories as well.

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      1. Camp is camp. I had a hard time being away from home and my friends, but I was a really socially awkward kid and struggled to fit in. I did love all of the really cool activities we got to do, especially those that I couldn’t do at home, like horseback riding, rowing, swimming, and traveling to activities in upstate NY. I’m sure Wyatt is going to love it!

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