Camp Girl-Meets-Boy

Camp Girl-Meets-Boy #1

by Caroline B. Cooney

The young women at Camp Menunchekogue--"Camp Men" to insiders--get a summer-long lesson in mingling with the opposite sex and experiencing the fun and challenge of independence

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Summer, Romance, High School, Childrens

181 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 1, 1988

About the author

Caroline Cooney knew in sixth grade that she wanted to be a writer when "the best teacher I ever had in my life" made writing her main focus. "He used to rip off covers from The New Yorker and pass them around and make us write a short story on whichever cover we got. I started writing then and never stopped!"
When her children were young, Caroline started writing books for young people -- with remarkable results. She began to sell stories to Seventeen magazine and soon after began writing books. Suspense novels are her favorites to read and write. "In a suspense novel, you can count on action."
To keep her stories realistic, Caroline visits many schools outside of her area, learning more about teenagers all the time. She often organizes what she calls a "plotting game," in which students work together to create plots for stories. Caroline lives in Westbrook, Connecticut and when she's not writing she volunteers at a hospital, plays piano for the school musicals and daydreams!
- Scholastic.com

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite books as a teenager, and I still have a major soft spot for it. It's one of the best examples of CBC's talent for getting into a lot of characters' heads without muddling the story. I never went to summer camp, but every time I re-read this book, I feel like I have. :)

[Corry · Rating 5 out of 5]

makes all of us yearn for those days as campers and reminds some of us about the challenges and joys of being a counselor - along with some really funny laughs!

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all time favorite books when I was a little girl. First "big" chapter book I read as a girl.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure how 16-year-old girls are camp counselors for cabins full of 12-year-olds. In my day, counselors were definitely older than that. I think Vi and Marissa could have been 18 without changing anything else about the story, actually.

I enjoyed most everything in this book. The campers, the counselors, the nurse and director, Marissa's history with the camp, and Violet herself. I can picture every one of them. I remember from my own camp experiences the girls who brought tons of luggage, makeup, hair tools, and outfits, and how much fun it was for the rest of us who didn't have all that stuff to get fancied up for dance night.

I love the cereal boxes on the ceiling. All the details were so beautifully done, and believable. The title makes the story sound too juvenile for the depth and humor that was really there. Excited to track down the sequel!

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute, fun read! I love a book all about girl friendships that also contains some flirting & boy talk😘 Plus the setting of camp makes me so sad I never went! So sweet & will definitely lend a lot of inspo to a story idea all about camp!

[MB Valley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this at least a dozen times and it always makes me smile.

[Kati Polodna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh, not very compelling.

[Doris Ware · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good fun read

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crazy camping stories, crazy summer activities and romances with wishful hope's. Ups and downs of teenage ideas and interpretations of life in summer camp setting.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book. I enjoyed reading the conflicts between girls who like the same guys, and are trying to be camp counslers at the same time. A good romance story.

[CLM · Rating 4 out of 5]

More like Little Darlings (was that the Tatum / Kirsty McNichol movie?) than Sal Fisher but still very enjoyable.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorites as a young teen. A fun book about friends and boys and summer camp.

[Jinx Kelly 🎧🎙️ The Uncanny Lens]

I read a lot as a child and I went all out on book reports and presentations. I read this book when I was about 9. I remember being fond of it. It was fun. But, this book stands out for me for another reason.

I remember that several months after I read it for pleasure, a classmate read it for a book report. I was so excited to hear her report because *gasp* someone read the same book as me and it wasn’t assigned! The overwhelming disappointment that followed was clearly memorable. She started reading her book report and my heart sank as I realized she had just copied the description of the book off the back and was passing it off as her book report. A pivotal moment for me. She never got caught and I was 9, so I had no idea how to handle the situation aside from sitting in my silent heartbreak. Did she even read the book? Why was I working so hard if I could just copy the back of the book? Why did she not only get away with cheating, but got a round of applause? How was it that I knew cheating was wrong at 9 and this slightly older classmate didn’t?
Anyway, I’ll never forget this book because I learned a lot of important lessons about integrity, honesty, and hard work.