Acting Out

Summer Camp Secrets #2

by Katy Grant

Dear ____________________, I know I can never really tell you about my summer at Camp Pine Haven. Since nobody here knows the real me I've decided to become a new person. I've gotten a fresh start as a loud, funny girl named J.D. (So much cooler sounding than Judith Duckworth!) I've made a point of picking activities Judith would NEVER choose, finding friends Judith would never talk to, and saying things Judith would never say. I just wonder how far I'll have to go to keep up the act. Sincerely, JD

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Katy Grant grew up in Tennessee and decided at age eight she wanted to be a writer after reading a biography of Louisa May Alcott. (But for some strange reason she never got around to reading Little Women until she was an adult.) For many years she taught composition and creative writing courses at university and community colleges. She currently lives in Arizona with her husband Eric and enjoys spending time with her two adult sons.

Reviews

[Esmeralda_L+L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny. a great book to read when you miss summer camp. :)

[Ludivine Maître · Rating 3 out of 5]

Très très cringe mais en même temps il est assez prenant, je l’ai lu hyper vite et on s’attache vraiment au personnage

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Acting Out is the second book in Katy Grant's Summer Camp Secrets series. In this installment, Judith Duckworth heads off to Camp Pine Haven with two goals in mind - to forget the recent scandal that weighs heavily on her family, and to develop a whole new identity. From the moment she boards the camp bus, Judith becomes JD, a wisecracking jokester with a devil-may-care attitude. Before long, JD's antics are known camp-wide. She becomes close friends with the cool girls in her cabin, makes enemies with her swim instructor, and even gets caught sneaking off with a boy during a dance! All the time, she worries about what will happen when she runs out of punchlines. Will the people who like JD still like her as Judith? What happens when the summer ends and she goes back to being her boring old self?

Like the first book in the series, Pranked, this is a fast-paced summertime read filled with all kinds of lessons about friendship, identity, and growing up. JD's struggle to fit in and her desire to try on a new personality is something I think many girls in late elementary and middle school can relate to. Like Kelly in the first book, JD is a likable girl, and even when the reader knows she's doing the wrong thing, it's impossible not to sympathize with her and hope everything turns out okay in the end. I also really like the positivity in this book. For the most part, JD's camp friends aren't catty or petty - they're just normal girls having fun at summer camp.

This book also makes great use of suspense. Throughout the story, JD makes references to something her brother did that caused a lot of problems for her family, but we don't find out what happened until almost the very end. The big reveal coincides nicely with the moment where JD finally comes clean about who she really is when she's not at camp.

I also really love the way this story and the first one are interconnected. JD is mentioned briefly in Pranked, when Reb, Jennifer, and Kelly hoist a cabinmates' underwear up the flagpole. This book mentions many of the same events and people from the first book, and it seems like this trend will continue into Book 3, Friends Fornever, as well. There is no need to read these books in order, since they are self-contained, but I like the little connections you can make if you do read each and every one. It's very satisfying to see the way everything comes together, and it made the entire camp feel that much more real to me.

[Trisha Patel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book acting out is about a girl name Judith Duckworth that is bored with her old life so she goes to camp. there she creates a nickname, JD, and makes up a new personality. I like this book because the same thing might happen with other girls in some places this is what a girl wants to do. change her personality so people like her. i relate to this book because when i was little i wanted to become a different person and have more friends but as time went by i learned to like myself for who i am. i recommend this book to people that like realistic fiction.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was the best of the 3 summer camp secrets! 1 thing i liked was that i could really relate to 1 of the charactors.(coincidently) her name is lauren too. i also really like the story line. it was funny and so full of cool summer camp activities and had such unique charactors. that is what i loved about acting out (summer camp secrets). that is why it is my favorite book.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought that this was a great book.It was about a girl named Judith Duckworth who was named after her grandmother and didn't like it. When she goes to camp she turn into JD. She got the idea from a new girl at her school who is really popular.So she starts to crack jokes.She also makes osme great friends. I would definetly recommend this book because I really enjoy it.

[Sana · Rating 3 out of 5]

i loved this book.it is about a girl who changes her name on a camp because she wants to be a popular girl. you must read it

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! I read it so many times!

[Isabelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good, but not awesome.

[Candide · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good. I think that this one was better than the first but it still wasn't my favorite book in the entire world or something....

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn't bad, but its a younger book. i enjoyed it when i read it, but i was 12 so.... and ive changed a lot in the last year so....

[Stefanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found JD rather annoying at the beginning but she came around closer to the end. I enjoyed the camp setting and made me miss being young again and going to camp

[Ellamsnoopy:) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing book. I read this book when I was little I now I love it even more