Summer Camp: Ready or Not!

Ernestine & Amanda #2

by Sandra Belton, Nancy Carpenter (Illustrator)

Two young African-American girls, Ernestine and Amanda, go to separate summer camps, and although they both enjoy the fun of camp, they each realize that their friends from home sometimes understand them best.

176 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

from Contemporary Authors Online: Sandra Belton has published a number of well-received picture books for children in addition to novels for young adults that include the award-winning McKendree. She is perhaps best known for her "Ernestine and Amanda" series about two African-American girls growing up in the 1950s. In an interview with Janice DelNegro for the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books online, Belton noted that the series is enriched by her own experiences as a youngster in small-town West Virginia. "Ernestine and Amanda are the keepers of my childhood memories and dreams," the author remarked. "Their voices echo the ones I heard while chasing lightning bugs and playing at twilight with the kids down the street. The homes they live in and the schools and churches they attend paint a picture of the neighborhoods that nurtured all of us. The events of their lives and the heroes they celebrate are the ones of our heritage."

Reviews

[Mary Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent camp story which contrasts the experiences of two Black girls at two different camps. Amanda goes to an integrated private camp where she feels different. Ernestine goes to an all-black camp where an older girls, Raelynn, helps her learn to swim. I especially liked the relationship between Ernestine and Raelynn.

[Carelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

It cool