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Camp Average #1
Camp Average
A group of 11-year-olds arrives to spend six weeks playing sports at Camp Avalon--which they affectionately call Camp Average, because they never win at any sport. And that's the way they like it. But this summer, new camp director Winston--who hates losing--has some hyper-competitive ideas about how to improve their performance, whether they want to or not!
Led by main character Mack and his friend Andre, the boys of Cabin 10 decide to reclaim their summer and revolt by losing spectacularly at every game they play, and especially at the big baseball tournament coming up with three nearby camps.
Led by main character Mack and his friend Andre, the boys of Cabin 10 decide to reclaim their summer and revolt by losing spectacularly at every game they play, and especially at the big baseball tournament coming up with three nearby camps.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published April 15, 2019
9 people are currently reading
148 people want to read
About the author
Craig Battle
11 books9 followersCraig Battle is the author of five books for young readers, including Camp Average. He is the former editor of OWL magazine and is currently an editor at Sportsnet. Originally from Lantzville, B.C., he now lives in Toronto with his wife, Angela, and son, Reggie.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
May 27, 2019
This librarian generally reserves 5 star ratings for epic YA dystopia or heart-wrenching drama from authors like Bauer, Graff, and Lord. But this funny, summer sports camp, middle grades novel held my attention from page 1 til the end with lots of laughter and groans at the absurdity of it all. Absurdity because no summer camp director could really drill paying campers that hard, could he? And isn’t it unheard of for red-blooded American boys to lose baseball games on purpose? But Craig Battles’ characters are utterly believable and readers will root for their “losing” plan to right the wrongs being done to them as they struggle to force a return to the camp atmosphere that they knew and loved from all their previous summers. Readers will recognize the characters of Mack, Andre, Pat, Miles and Nelson as just like boys at their own schools and will be very familiar with coaches like Winston and Laker. With its rapid pace, moderate length, and highly relatable subject matter, this book will appeal to many middle grades library patrons, but will be especially useful for sports-minded, reluctant reader boys who seldom stray from the graphic novel genre. Librarians, parents and classroom teachers will be pleased at the total absence of profanity, violence and sexual contact. Librarians looking to add diversity to their shelves will find this book hard to categorize as descriptions and names do not seem to reveal any racial clues, but the book’s cover shows one pair of dark-skinned legs. Highly recommended for grades 4-7. Thanks for the dARC, Edelweiss and NetGalley.
March 19, 2019
Camp Average is a fun story about a group of 11 year olds surviving 6 weeks of summer camp! It’s actually called Camp Avalon but these campers prefer to call themselves average and they are ok with it! The problem at camp comes when they get a new camp director, and he’s a bit more competitive then they’d anticipated. The new director makes a bunch of changes that aren’t too popular with the campers. You’ll have to read it, to see how they respond to the changes...
This is a grand slam summer read for middle graders or anyone wanting to relive their summer at camp.
Thank you to Owlkids and NetGalley for this advanced copy and fun camp adventure!
This is a grand slam summer read for middle graders or anyone wanting to relive their summer at camp.
Thank you to Owlkids and NetGalley for this advanced copy and fun camp adventure!
June 1, 2024
4.75. It was really good. I'm ready for the second book.
March 24, 2021
The book Camp Average by Craig Battle is about a boy named Mack, his friend Andre, and the rest of cabin 10. Camp Average is a camp where boys get to do fun activities like rocketry, water skiing, swimming for fun, and many other fun activities. That is how Camp Average works until they get a new director and he wants to only win win win. The boys of cabin 10 have a plan to get their old camp back, but will it work? This book is realistic fiction/fiction. I recommend this book because it has lots of suspense, and there are some funny parts!
June 23, 2024
I just about quit reading this, it was sluggish and the motivation of intentionally throwing all the games seemed like a book-long tantrum. The final quarter of the book helped redeem it just a bit, but not enough to read another in the series.
Summer-mini: 22) At least four Olympic ring colors on cover
Summer-mini: 22) At least four Olympic ring colors on cover
July 16, 2019
My son (7yo) and I just finished this book as a read-aloud, and it was a fun read-aloud with short chapters that kept the pace moving. Some of the pros were old fashioned sort of pranks and hijinks, a lot of different sports topics, particularly baseball, and friendships between boys. I feel as if this has the potential to be a really fun read for kids who are interested in sports, who might have attended sports camps (or want to), and it moves quickly enough to easily keep attention span. While it is a boys only camp, girls who are interested in sports or summer camp types of stories might also enjoy it.
About the only con I had as a parent was that the behavior the kids undertook was not always exemplary behavior I would want my kid to imulate! None of it was terrible, just kids pranks and general sort of kids stuff, that isn't the most mature, and is sometimes a little on the vindictive side. Since we were reading it together, we used that as a conversation time to talk about how we treat people, and it was fine. And none of it was so bad that if he'd been reading it on his own I'd have been horrified, it just generally wasn't behavior I would want him to engage in! For me this bumps the rating down to a 4, it's an otherwise super fun story, and the characters are diverse and enjoyable, and we enjoyed it. His original rating was a 5, and then he dropped it to a 4.5.
The epilogue certainly sets up the possibility of a second story, and my son was all over that - is there another one? And if there were, we would read it. :)
I picked this title up at ALA Midwinter and appreciate the opportunity to read and review it.
About the only con I had as a parent was that the behavior the kids undertook was not always exemplary behavior I would want my kid to imulate! None of it was terrible, just kids pranks and general sort of kids stuff, that isn't the most mature, and is sometimes a little on the vindictive side. Since we were reading it together, we used that as a conversation time to talk about how we treat people, and it was fine. And none of it was so bad that if he'd been reading it on his own I'd have been horrified, it just generally wasn't behavior I would want him to engage in! For me this bumps the rating down to a 4, it's an otherwise super fun story, and the characters are diverse and enjoyable, and we enjoyed it. His original rating was a 5, and then he dropped it to a 4.5.
The epilogue certainly sets up the possibility of a second story, and my son was all over that - is there another one? And if there were, we would read it. :)
I picked this title up at ALA Midwinter and appreciate the opportunity to read and review it.
March 13, 2021
I have been reading for about 2 weeks, and it's one of the BEST books I have ever read. Right now I am doing an assignment for this book and I have been reading around 46 pg a week in total. But I wish I would just keep reading, because of how good it is. The book is simple to read but still has different and unique words that challenge you. Also, the book describes the different situations when needed but doesn’t over detail/describe them. And the way the characters in the book are made to distribute to the story is great and each character is well developed. Also, the story about the camp director is all about winning in baseball but Mack just wants to play water sports at camp. This style of story I have never seen but it’s nice to read. An example of why this book is so good is how Mack came up with a plan to get summer back. And the plan was to purposely lose in games. But after losing the game, when they were in the Mess Hall for dinner Winston was talking about how we just need more practice. But there was also one thing he said that leads Mack to believe that Winston might have figured out the plan. What Winston said I’m not going to say so you can read this book for yourself. Highly recommend this book.
May 8, 2019
ARC from Netgalley
Yes! A fun, new summer camp book for boys. Imagine you're back at camp, and you're expecting an exciting summer of campfires, waterskiing, swimming, and the like. Then a new director, obsessed with sports and winning, joins the team. He believes the only difference between average and excellent is practice. He hi-jacks the schedule and assigns each kid to a sport. All normal activities are cancelled and replaced with a full day of sports practice. The goal? Beat the other camps.
Mack is not a happy camper at this turn of events. He gets all the teams on board with his plan to lose miserably at every game. His logic? Once the director sees how hopeless they are, he will drop the sports schedule. Unfortunately, the plan backfires. The more Mack digs in, the more the director digs in.
This is a book boys will read. It's summer camp, baseball, and protesting, all rolled into one. I love the characters. They are all different and play their part. I hope Craig Battle will write more books like this one.
Yes! A fun, new summer camp book for boys. Imagine you're back at camp, and you're expecting an exciting summer of campfires, waterskiing, swimming, and the like. Then a new director, obsessed with sports and winning, joins the team. He believes the only difference between average and excellent is practice. He hi-jacks the schedule and assigns each kid to a sport. All normal activities are cancelled and replaced with a full day of sports practice. The goal? Beat the other camps.
Mack is not a happy camper at this turn of events. He gets all the teams on board with his plan to lose miserably at every game. His logic? Once the director sees how hopeless they are, he will drop the sports schedule. Unfortunately, the plan backfires. The more Mack digs in, the more the director digs in.
This is a book boys will read. It's summer camp, baseball, and protesting, all rolled into one. I love the characters. They are all different and play their part. I hope Craig Battle will write more books like this one.
June 7, 2019
Read an ARC from NetGalley.
Mack is heading to Camp Average for a leisurely summer of sports and fun with his friends. Unfortunately, the new junior-camp director has other plans.
When Winston reveals his new game plan of day long practices and no down time, Mack devises a scheme to show the new director who's boss. Instead of trying their best, the kids intentionally sabotage each game, losing on purpose to teach Winston a lesson. But when Camp Average unintentionally makes it into the playoffs, the team has an opportunity to improve their reputation as well as get back the camp they know and love. Can they do it after a summer of goofing off?
I love a good underdog story. This could have come from a Disney movie set (think Mighty Ducks or Miracle). I thought the story had a strong build up, and though you could see the ending coming from a mile away, it was still a lot of fun to see how it unfolded. I will definitely be adding this to my classroom library, and can already picture the kiddos who are going to love it!
Mack is heading to Camp Average for a leisurely summer of sports and fun with his friends. Unfortunately, the new junior-camp director has other plans.
When Winston reveals his new game plan of day long practices and no down time, Mack devises a scheme to show the new director who's boss. Instead of trying their best, the kids intentionally sabotage each game, losing on purpose to teach Winston a lesson. But when Camp Average unintentionally makes it into the playoffs, the team has an opportunity to improve their reputation as well as get back the camp they know and love. Can they do it after a summer of goofing off?
I love a good underdog story. This could have come from a Disney movie set (think Mighty Ducks or Miracle). I thought the story had a strong build up, and though you could see the ending coming from a mile away, it was still a lot of fun to see how it unfolded. I will definitely be adding this to my classroom library, and can already picture the kiddos who are going to love it!
June 13, 2021
Mack and his friends love coming to Camp Avalon (or Camp Average) each year. This year there is a different counselor running the junior campers though. This year, instead of having a lot of fun and being "average," the counselor, Winston decides that everyone should grow to be the best they can be and therefore will be assigned to the one sport that they appear best at and will only do that sport all summer. This is NOT what the campers want but didn't realize this is what they were actually signing up for this year. They create a plan to try to change things back to the way they like them but it is taking a bit longer than they thought, and not everything is going as planned. This is a good book about friendship, teamwork, and consequences. If they don't win the battle they just hope they don't lose any more than they started with.
May 11, 2019
Mack and his friends, a group of 11 year old boys, arrive at Camp Avalon expecting their usual summer camp activities of sports, rocketry, swimming, and more. They relish in the fact that they are 'Number 2' and generally don't fair well in the baseball tournament that the campers participate in with nearby camps. So when a new camp director arrives and expects the boys to win things change radically from what the boys were expecting. Instead of swimming and rocket play they now have non-stop baseball. Mack decides that the best way to combat the new director is to do the exact opposite, lose. He convinces the other boys that they need to rally together and become the worst athletes that Camp Avalon has ever seen.
Good for baseball fans ages 9 and up.
Good for baseball fans ages 9 and up.
March 25, 2020
Camp Average by Craig Battle
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was a really great chapter book for the tween crowd. A group of kids at a summer camp are used to being number two at their summer camp’s baseball tournament and they are a-ok with it. These boys attend this summer camp for the fun activities, not for rigorous sports related training. That all changes when a new director takes over the scheduling for this group of misfits.
I picked this up during one of my last library visits to my very small community library before it closed. The title caught my eye and I was a fan of the cover so I went in with my expectations low, but was pleasantly surprised. It’s an all male cast of characters, and I think that any sports minded 10-13 year old boy would enjoy this read.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was a really great chapter book for the tween crowd. A group of kids at a summer camp are used to being number two at their summer camp’s baseball tournament and they are a-ok with it. These boys attend this summer camp for the fun activities, not for rigorous sports related training. That all changes when a new director takes over the scheduling for this group of misfits.
I picked this up during one of my last library visits to my very small community library before it closed. The title caught my eye and I was a fan of the cover so I went in with my expectations low, but was pleasantly surprised. It’s an all male cast of characters, and I think that any sports minded 10-13 year old boy would enjoy this read.
March 21, 2019
Loved this! Light, fun, diverse. It’s easy to imagine someone new taking over a camp and making it into an obsessive sports training ground over the fun camp you’ve grown to love. Mack grew a lot throughout the book and I loved his cabin mates a great deal too. Very much a baseball-focused book, but enjoyable for lots of different kinds of readers I think. I loved too that this was just a slice of life story too. The campers have more of their summer left, but Battle leaves that up to readers’ imaginations. The story is still immensely satisfying while leaving you wanting more too. I will be booktalking this for sure.
Thank you to Owlkids for the ARC received at ALA Midwinter
Thank you to Owlkids for the ARC received at ALA Midwinter
May 29, 2020
Couldn’t get into it. Gave up in Chapter 3. Writing is bland, I don’t feel connected to a single character, and frankly it being an all-boy camp was a turnoff for me. Authors should strive to have an even 50/50 on male and female characters and I don’t think I met a single female character in the time I spent reading. Maybe a kid would like it. I don’t think I’d go out of my way to recommend it to one though.
November 1, 2020
Eh, not for me. Fun sports oriented book about what the kids expected at Camp Average a fun summer of no schedules. Once Miles, and Mack arrive at camp they realize that things are different this year-there is a new camp jr director name Winston, and all he wants to do is win. So instead of a relaxing summer of fun, it is now scheduled intensive training's, work-outs, and tournaments with other camps.
June 27, 2019
Fun summer camp read for middle grades. Plenty of humor and absurdity for most readers. Mack is determined to undermine the new Junior Camp Director and get back to their fun activities rather than the emphasis on sports and practicing constantly. This changes and the baseball team defeats their archrival for the first time in history. Delightful ending that sets up a possible next book.
September 16, 2019
This was a pretty good book. Follows a group of 11 year-olds at summer camp. The book includes a lot of baseball technical terms, so it would be a really good book for any kids who like baseball or sports in general. It's a pretty fun and upbeat realistic fiction book and I appreciate the tenacity and spunk of these kids. Plus, everyone loves a good underdog story...
May 26, 2021
A great baseball book. Kids can read it for the fun and for the great description of the final baseball game that even I, someone who knows very little of the game, was able to follow. But there are also some good issues to think about and discuss: What is the purpose of playing sports? Is winning everything? How is the adult ruining sports for the kids?
January 26, 2022
It had an interesting premise but never got me to a point where I cared about the stakes or individual characters. Everyone seemed basically interchangeable and the storytelling was flat. In a sparse field of middle grade sports books, this one gets shelf-space, but only just. It's also a hard sell when fewer kids are asking for books where baseball is front and center.
March 20, 2019
I really enjoyed this story. It has undertones of many prior 'camp' stories, with a difference. Each character is well built and you really get to know their quirks. Cabin 10 take care of each other. Even the nerds. Discovery of self and motives all are entwined in this wonderful fun story.
November 28, 2019
I really liked this one! It was a fun story about camp. I liked the characters and wanted them to have a better time at camp. Mack and everyone was a lot of fun. I would like to see more stories about them.
CA
CA
Read
June 3, 2019DNF. Someone who likes sports would probably enjoy this more than I did, but it was too much play-by-play.
June 5, 2019
A good read.
June 6, 2019
Classic camp story. New camp director plans on making average campers into winners. Lots of baseball.
August 18, 2019
Early DNF for Camp Average. The writing style did not grab my attention.
Read
October 25, 2019lexile score----790
no AR score
ST
no AR score
ST
February 4, 2020
Really captures the spirit of summer sleep away camp, and all the boys’ different personalities make for a very fun group.
April 23, 2020
Kinda boring at some parts, but a pretty good read.
May 29, 2020
Short-listed for the 2021 MYRCA Sundogs.
July 4, 2020
Lots of Laugh Out Loud moments.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews