Camp Sylvania
by Julie Murphy (Author)
From Julie Murphy, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dumplin’, comes a hilarious and creepy middle grade summer camp story that takes a bite out of fat camp and diet culture. Perfect for fans of Spooky Stories and Starfish.
Magnolia “Maggie” Hagen is determined to be in the spotlight . . . if she can just get over her stage fright. This summer, though, she has big plans to finally attend Camp Rising Star, the famous performing arts camp she’s been dying to go to for three whole summers.
But on the last day of school, her parents break the news: Maggie isn’t going to Camp Rising Star. She’s being shipped off to fat camp—and not just any fat camp. She’s going to Camp Sylvania, run by world-famous wellness influencer Sylvia Sylvania, who is known for her soon-to-be-patented Scarlet Diet.
When Maggie arrives at camp, things are . . . weird. There are the humiliating weigh-ins and grueling workouts, as expected. But the campers are also encouraged to donate blood—at their age! The cafeteria serves only red foods and the oddly specific rules change every day. There are even rumors of a camp ghost.
Despite these horrors, Maggie makes friends and starts to actually enjoy herself. There are even tryouts for a camp production of The Music Man! This place might not be so bad . . . until campers start going missing and other suspicious things begin happening—especially after dark. The camp ghost might be the least scary thing about this place. . . .
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Publishers Weekly
After years of waiting, best friends and aspiring actors Maggie Hagen and Nora Taylor Whaley are jazzed to finally be headed to Camp Rising Star for three summer weeks. But on the last day of school, Maggie's horror writer father and nurse mother suddenly announce that they're instead sending her to Camp Sylvania, "a place for big dreams, big fun, and big weight loss," run by fitness guru Sylvia Sylvania. Maggie's mom, who is obsessed with her daughter's weight, was once Sylvia's peer at the same camp, and she wants Maggie to attend now that Sylvia's bought it. Most of the counselors prove taken with influencer Sylvia and her Scarlet Diet. But a rebrand isn't the only change the camp has undergone: the property is now haunted, advertised activities are off-limits, underage attendees are asked to donate blood, and soon, campers start disappearing. Through Maggie's witty first-person narration, Murphy (Dear Sweet Pea) reveals the fat camp's horrors, both benign and supernatural, as Maggie, who experiences performance anxiety, realizes that she and her body are just right the way they are. It's a character-driven summer camp romp that takes on anti-fat bias while underscoring how parents don't always get things right. Maggie is white, Nora has brown skin; racial diversity exists among the campers. Ages 8-12. (June)
Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
JUV039140 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance
JUV058000 - Juvenile Fiction | Paranormal, Occult & Supernatural
JUV018000 - Juvenile Fiction | Horror
JUV032170 - Juvenile Fiction | Sports & Recreation | Camping & Outdoor Activities
Paranormal fiction
Horror stories
Children
Camps
Horror fiction
Eating disorders
Horror tales
Weight loss
