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Camp Shady Crook
It’s Ocean’s Eleven set in a summer camp as two kids try to one-up each other in a con competition at a camp that isn’t quite what it seems…
For Archie, the start of summer means another stint at Camp Shady Brook, where there is a lot more to the camp than meets the eye—just like Archie and his now blended family. But thanks to a con Archie developed last year, he’s finally somebody…and he’s not going to lose that status to the new girl, Vivian.
For Vivian, thanks to an incident That Shall Not Be Named or Spoken Of, her summer of exotic travels with Mom and Dad has turned into traveling to a dump of a summer camp in the middle of nowhere.
But thanks to perfect timing, Vivian soon finds herself in a ring of kids trying to out-con each other—and discovers Camp Shady Brook is more like Camp Shady Crook. And when one final, massive con could cost Vivian the first friends she’s had in a while, can she and Archie figure out a way to make things right?
For Archie, the start of summer means another stint at Camp Shady Brook, where there is a lot more to the camp than meets the eye—just like Archie and his now blended family. But thanks to a con Archie developed last year, he’s finally somebody…and he’s not going to lose that status to the new girl, Vivian.
For Vivian, thanks to an incident That Shall Not Be Named or Spoken Of, her summer of exotic travels with Mom and Dad has turned into traveling to a dump of a summer camp in the middle of nowhere.
But thanks to perfect timing, Vivian soon finds herself in a ring of kids trying to out-con each other—and discovers Camp Shady Brook is more like Camp Shady Crook. And when one final, massive con could cost Vivian the first friends she’s had in a while, can she and Archie figure out a way to make things right?
288 pages, Hardcover
First published May 21, 2019
15 people are currently reading
140 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
April 13, 2019
Camp Shady Crook is a very shady, and adventurous camp story, set in a run down dump for a camp! Archie and Vivian compete for the rights to hustle the other campers. According to Archie, the number one tip for pulling off a con... know your mark.
They both get in over their head in a hustle that’s bigger than they intended. Eventually the two team up together to fix a lot of wrongs in the camp and agree to put their cons behind them.
First of all, I love camp stories, but this story was so unique and original! I enjoyed the main characters and how they developed throughout the story. The camp director was so awful and you sort of wanted her to get the boot for how she treated the campers and left the camp in such disrepair.
If you enjoy camp stories, you will love this one!
They both get in over their head in a hustle that’s bigger than they intended. Eventually the two team up together to fix a lot of wrongs in the camp and agree to put their cons behind them.
First of all, I love camp stories, but this story was so unique and original! I enjoyed the main characters and how they developed throughout the story. The camp director was so awful and you sort of wanted her to get the boot for how she treated the campers and left the camp in such disrepair.
If you enjoy camp stories, you will love this one!
May 22, 2019
*Book Received in Exchange for Honest Opinion/Review*
I am kind of ashamed to admit how long it took me to read this book but alas I started it 10 days ago! I just finished this afternoon and let me just start off by saying the first two-thirds of the book is slow. I can't quite put my finger on it but the pacing of the story is off. I felt like the synopsis set me up for a summer of prank wars and cons but that didn't exactly resonate in the story.
We are given a lot of details, the world building took forever when it is simply a summer camp. What should have been a fun competition between Archie and Vivian turned into maybe 3-4 cons total. The build up to these cons is anti-climatic and while I understand these are middle-schoolers/high-schoolers...describing this as Ocean's Eleven is extremely misleading because it will never live up to such a momentous, devious movie.
Some drama and a fall out occurs but in the fall out, Archie and Vivian realize they need to unite for the greater good. Which segways me into the last third of the novel, giving off a completely different vibe. The plot line picks up, things become fun and playful. But at this point, it almost feels like too little, too late. The ending was sweet, and endearing but I desperately wanted this scheming and working together to last longer. This is what I was missing in the beginning of the story.
The characters have epiphanies and grow but the problem was, it took too long to get there. If the whole story read like the ending of the book, this would truly have the Ocean's Eleven vibe. As is, if you can push through a stagnant story line till the real fun happens, it's an okay read.
I am kind of ashamed to admit how long it took me to read this book but alas I started it 10 days ago! I just finished this afternoon and let me just start off by saying the first two-thirds of the book is slow. I can't quite put my finger on it but the pacing of the story is off. I felt like the synopsis set me up for a summer of prank wars and cons but that didn't exactly resonate in the story.
We are given a lot of details, the world building took forever when it is simply a summer camp. What should have been a fun competition between Archie and Vivian turned into maybe 3-4 cons total. The build up to these cons is anti-climatic and while I understand these are middle-schoolers/high-schoolers...describing this as Ocean's Eleven is extremely misleading because it will never live up to such a momentous, devious movie.
Some drama and a fall out occurs but in the fall out, Archie and Vivian realize they need to unite for the greater good. Which segways me into the last third of the novel, giving off a completely different vibe. The plot line picks up, things become fun and playful. But at this point, it almost feels like too little, too late. The ending was sweet, and endearing but I desperately wanted this scheming and working together to last longer. This is what I was missing in the beginning of the story.
The characters have epiphanies and grow but the problem was, it took too long to get there. If the whole story read like the ending of the book, this would truly have the Ocean's Eleven vibe. As is, if you can push through a stagnant story line till the real fun happens, it's an okay read.
January 19, 2020
Entertaining. I liked how there was no romance implied between any of the characters. Kids sometimes really are just friends with each other. Some of the shenanigans were unrealistic, but the characters grew and that's what is important to me.
I think there was one character name inconsistency. The camp nurse was referred to as Jack and Nick at different points in the story, but it isn't a deal-breaker.
I think there was one character name inconsistency. The camp nurse was referred to as Jack and Nick at different points in the story, but it isn't a deal-breaker.
March 19, 2019
I was lucky to read an ARC of Camp Shady Crook by Lee Gjertsen Malone.
I really loved this book--summer camp, an epic rivalry, appealing characters. It hit all the right notes for me.
I can't wait to order a copy for my middle school classroom library.
I really loved this book--summer camp, an epic rivalry, appealing characters. It hit all the right notes for me.
I can't wait to order a copy for my middle school classroom library.
February 25, 2019
Nothing like spending a cold winter day escaping into a summer read. CAMP SHADY CROOK reminds me of the best of Louis Sachar: crisp, memorable characters, witty writing, and a distinctive setting. Camp Shady Crook is the best and worst of every camp I attended as a kid, but more than that, it's larger than life, and so are the two kids at its center: Archie the grifter and Vivian his competitor. In short chapters alternating between the two tweens, we see the stakes rise as they battle it out for control. But like the best of Sachar's books, there's a beating heart at the center of our protagonists, even though they may not initially present the best of intentions. Anyone who loves a good con story -- or a summer camp story -- will find much to enjoy here.
May 8, 2019
ARC provided by Simon and Schuster via NetGalley for an honest review.
This was a pretty fun read. I enjoyed the characters and the plot, although the end was a little over the top.
Archie was such a solid character. At home he has issues with his family, at school, typical kid stuff. But when he gets to camp he puts on this new persona, but he is still Archie underneath. His cons are pretty simple and the ones we see do work, but he does have some strict rules about who he cons, not the poor scholarship kids and not the little kids, which I really liked about him. He also feels guilt when one of the kids he cons was maybe not as well off as he thought. His attitude towards Vivian was also very believable, and as their relationship develops you can tell that they will become very good friends.
Vivian was a bit harder to like. She is a bit snobbish and stand-offish to everyone. As we come to know her, you understand why, but I wish she had been a bit kinder to the other kids. Her budding friendship with Sasha, was wonderful to watch play out. Sasha is also going to end up being a solid great friend for Vivian.
I loved both Sasha and Oliver. Sasha was just so enthusiastic about camp, even when it really sucked. And Oliver was the perfect right hand man to Archie, what Archie eventually realizes is a good friend too. Oliver is often the voice of reason for some of Archie’s crazier schemes.
The plot was a little bit draggy at times, but the cons were great. Some of Archie’s advice to Vivian was also very standard heist stuff that you see all of the time in movies and tv, but that is ok. Archie admits to learning most of what he knows by researching on the internet. Ms. Hess, the camp director, was a believable villain. We don’t see a whole lot of her in the story, but the stories of her make up for that, as do the times she does show up to make the campers lives miserable. Archie and Vivian’s final con to get Ms. Hess to make things right is very well thought out and executed. The ending is maybe a bit rushed and abrupt, but still well done.
Overall an excellent middle grade book that would be great for a summer beach read, or better yet, while you are at camp!
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This was a pretty fun read. I enjoyed the characters and the plot, although the end was a little over the top.
Archie was such a solid character. At home he has issues with his family, at school, typical kid stuff. But when he gets to camp he puts on this new persona, but he is still Archie underneath. His cons are pretty simple and the ones we see do work, but he does have some strict rules about who he cons, not the poor scholarship kids and not the little kids, which I really liked about him. He also feels guilt when one of the kids he cons was maybe not as well off as he thought. His attitude towards Vivian was also very believable, and as their relationship develops you can tell that they will become very good friends.
Vivian was a bit harder to like. She is a bit snobbish and stand-offish to everyone. As we come to know her, you understand why, but I wish she had been a bit kinder to the other kids. Her budding friendship with Sasha, was wonderful to watch play out. Sasha is also going to end up being a solid great friend for Vivian.
I loved both Sasha and Oliver. Sasha was just so enthusiastic about camp, even when it really sucked. And Oliver was the perfect right hand man to Archie, what Archie eventually realizes is a good friend too. Oliver is often the voice of reason for some of Archie’s crazier schemes.
The plot was a little bit draggy at times, but the cons were great. Some of Archie’s advice to Vivian was also very standard heist stuff that you see all of the time in movies and tv, but that is ok. Archie admits to learning most of what he knows by researching on the internet. Ms. Hess, the camp director, was a believable villain. We don’t see a whole lot of her in the story, but the stories of her make up for that, as do the times she does show up to make the campers lives miserable. Archie and Vivian’s final con to get Ms. Hess to make things right is very well thought out and executed. The ending is maybe a bit rushed and abrupt, but still well done.
Overall an excellent middle grade book that would be great for a summer beach read, or better yet, while you are at camp!
https://elnadesbookchat.com
March 23, 2019
I was lucky enough to snag an ARC of this book!
In this super fun camp story, Archie Drake spends 6 weeks of every summer at Camp Shady Brook. It's an overstrict, run-down, poor excuse for a camp (not-so-fondly called Camp Shady Crook), but Archie has discovered the good side, too. Not only can he escape his unpopular, invisible self from back home, but he has discovered a talent for conning kids (only the rich ones) out of some of their spending cash. And it doesn't hurt that he happens to share a name with a well-known, ridiculously wealthy man. Archie takes his talent very seriously, and comes prepared every year to take advantage of as many kids as he can.
Everything is great until this year, when he finds another camper, Vivian, also trying to work the cons. When his attempt to scare her away doesn't work, they wind up as arch nemesis, fighting for control of the con at Camp Shady Brook.
Ms. Malone does such a great job bringer her two main characters to life. They both have in-depth backstories that make you want to cheer them on, and hope that they will end up in a happier place than they begin. She also really brings the setting to life. Camp Shady Crook is like a character all on its own. You see what it just might possibly be, and I found myself hoping that it, too, would get a renewed chance at life.
But what I really loved best about this book were the friendships. At the heart of the story, both Archie and Vivian need a friend. A good friend. But sometimes it's hard to see the things that are right in front of your nose. Our vision gets clouded because of preconceived notions, and this is very much the case with both Archie and Vivian.
I have no doubt kids will giggle their way through this fun romp at Camp Shady Crook!
In this super fun camp story, Archie Drake spends 6 weeks of every summer at Camp Shady Brook. It's an overstrict, run-down, poor excuse for a camp (not-so-fondly called Camp Shady Crook), but Archie has discovered the good side, too. Not only can he escape his unpopular, invisible self from back home, but he has discovered a talent for conning kids (only the rich ones) out of some of their spending cash. And it doesn't hurt that he happens to share a name with a well-known, ridiculously wealthy man. Archie takes his talent very seriously, and comes prepared every year to take advantage of as many kids as he can.
Everything is great until this year, when he finds another camper, Vivian, also trying to work the cons. When his attempt to scare her away doesn't work, they wind up as arch nemesis, fighting for control of the con at Camp Shady Brook.
Ms. Malone does such a great job bringer her two main characters to life. They both have in-depth backstories that make you want to cheer them on, and hope that they will end up in a happier place than they begin. She also really brings the setting to life. Camp Shady Crook is like a character all on its own. You see what it just might possibly be, and I found myself hoping that it, too, would get a renewed chance at life.
But what I really loved best about this book were the friendships. At the heart of the story, both Archie and Vivian need a friend. A good friend. But sometimes it's hard to see the things that are right in front of your nose. Our vision gets clouded because of preconceived notions, and this is very much the case with both Archie and Vivian.
I have no doubt kids will giggle their way through this fun romp at Camp Shady Crook!
May 12, 2019
ARC from Netgalley
Adult rating: 4 stars
Kid rating: 5 stars
Who wouldn't jump at the chance to re-invent himself? To be the person everyone admires? Archie and Vivian plan to do just that at Camp Shady Brook. Archie is a seasoned veteran, returning for his third summer. He uses the fact that he shares a name with a famous, unrelated billionaire to his advantage. Vivian is new at camp and dreading every minute of it. She's not good at making friends, but she shares something in common with Archie. She's good at conning people.
Archie isn't happy to learn that he has competition this year. If he can just humor this girl and teach her what he knows, she'll be out of his hair after a week. Problem not averted. She's staying for the whole summer, like him. Both of them know this camp is too small for two con artists. One has to go. They make a bet to see who can con a camper out of $50 first. The loser has to give up conning for good. As expected, chaos ensues. Feathers are ruffled. Lessons are learned. There's only one thing left to do. Fix everything with the biggest con yet.
This is a perfect book for kids going into summer vacation. The plot is well crafted. Readers will love these kids who have discovered a talent for conning, but are essentially good at heart. The idea of reinventing yourself will resonate with kids and adults will be glad to know it's all building toward an important moral lesson. My only criticism is that the ending is not as polished as the rest of the book, but a minor detail. Definitely purchasing.
Adult rating: 4 stars
Kid rating: 5 stars
Who wouldn't jump at the chance to re-invent himself? To be the person everyone admires? Archie and Vivian plan to do just that at Camp Shady Brook. Archie is a seasoned veteran, returning for his third summer. He uses the fact that he shares a name with a famous, unrelated billionaire to his advantage. Vivian is new at camp and dreading every minute of it. She's not good at making friends, but she shares something in common with Archie. She's good at conning people.
Archie isn't happy to learn that he has competition this year. If he can just humor this girl and teach her what he knows, she'll be out of his hair after a week. Problem not averted. She's staying for the whole summer, like him. Both of them know this camp is too small for two con artists. One has to go. They make a bet to see who can con a camper out of $50 first. The loser has to give up conning for good. As expected, chaos ensues. Feathers are ruffled. Lessons are learned. There's only one thing left to do. Fix everything with the biggest con yet.
This is a perfect book for kids going into summer vacation. The plot is well crafted. Readers will love these kids who have discovered a talent for conning, but are essentially good at heart. The idea of reinventing yourself will resonate with kids and adults will be glad to know it's all building toward an important moral lesson. My only criticism is that the ending is not as polished as the rest of the book, but a minor detail. Definitely purchasing.
March 31, 2019
The set-up of this book is one of delicious wickedness: practiced kid conman, Archie Drake, and budding trickster, Vivian Cheng, come head to head at Camp Shady Brook. The are they accomplices, archenemies, or friends is a fun narrative dynamic told in alternating POV chapters that keep the story moving. Just like the character Archie Drake likes to read about famous cons and heists, I think kid readers will eat up Archie and Vivian’s escapades swindling fellow campers out of their summer spending money.
Readers familiar Lee Malone’s THE LAST BOY AT ST. EDITH’S will recognize the deadpan humor and snappy rhythm, which make this book a great read-aloud selection. As a parent/teacher I did worry about how the book would deal with the harm done in executing the many cons (interesting as they are), but was very satisfied with the way those issues are handled. This well executed story shows kids fixing their mistakes, moving on from social setbacks, and reimagining themselves in an entertaining way.
I hope kids come out of reading CAMP SHADY CROOK just like they come home from a good summer camp, a little taller, a little wiser, with more confidence and plenty of friends.
Readers familiar Lee Malone’s THE LAST BOY AT ST. EDITH’S will recognize the deadpan humor and snappy rhythm, which make this book a great read-aloud selection. As a parent/teacher I did worry about how the book would deal with the harm done in executing the many cons (interesting as they are), but was very satisfied with the way those issues are handled. This well executed story shows kids fixing their mistakes, moving on from social setbacks, and reimagining themselves in an entertaining way.
I hope kids come out of reading CAMP SHADY CROOK just like they come home from a good summer camp, a little taller, a little wiser, with more confidence and plenty of friends.
February 1, 2020
I'm halfway finished, but I don't think I'm going to press on. I'm just not engaged with the characters. The writing is fine. The premise is unique and was intriguing, but I just can't get into it. I keep thinking up others things to do rather than read it, and I think it's because I just don't care about the characters at all. I get that the author has to give them an arc, but if the starting point for these characters is that they're conning other kids because they're bored and angry about stuff, well... honestly, they're just sort of jerks. I don't really care about whatever their arc is yet, even at 50% through the novel. I'm sure they'll be redeemed and figure out they were being jerks, but it's too late for me. Also, there don't seem to be any real stakes here. So nothing really resonates.
April 7, 2020
So this book is about a kid name Archie Drake and he goes to summer camp but he pretends to be someone who he's not because back in his hometown he doesn't like how other kids see him so he goes to summer camp shady crook every year and he pretends to be this famous rich kid but that's not who he is but he just does it so kids can at least like him because in his hometown he doesn't have much friends. So I think the theme of this book is to not pretend to be who you're not just for people to like you because it's just better to show your true colors. This book was a really good book but I would not recommend it for me because it was not really in my reading genre I just thought it would be nice to try something new but did not work out but I will recommend this book for students that are going into middle school.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 22, 2019
Troubled middle school students, Archie and Vivian, meet at Camp Shady Brook and soon discover a shared love of conning other campers. Archie tries to teach Vivian his techniques mainly in an effort to keep her under control, even as she pulls a con on him. The cons keep coming as the notoriously nasty camp grows ever more mildewed and overgrown and the campers grow ever more discontented. But when a con goes dramatically wrong, Archie and Vivian, finally see the error of their ways and attempt to set things right. The trouble is, it may be too late to make amends to their family and would-be friends. An entertaining summer read with memorable characters searching for the true meaning of friendship and self-worth.
May 9, 2019
[I received an electronic review copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
A fun heist/con story set at a rundown summer camp. I love heist/con stories when there's a compelling reason for the con. At the start, Archie and Vivian don't really have a reason other than "Because we can." It makes it hard to like them early on in the story. But when their feud blows up in their faces, they discover they are better together. The ending made me want to stand up and cheer. Lots to unpack in this story about what friendship means and how to build friendships. This would make for good discussion in a reading group/book club or for a classroom read aloud.
A fun heist/con story set at a rundown summer camp. I love heist/con stories when there's a compelling reason for the con. At the start, Archie and Vivian don't really have a reason other than "Because we can." It makes it hard to like them early on in the story. But when their feud blows up in their faces, they discover they are better together. The ending made me want to stand up and cheer. Lots to unpack in this story about what friendship means and how to build friendships. This would make for good discussion in a reading group/book club or for a classroom read aloud.
December 31, 2023
A reasonable well-written story with a simple but clear plot. The main premise is that a cynical boy looks forward to going to camp each year so that he can take advantage of the naive kids there by conning them out of the spending money their parents have given to them. Maybe I'm out of touch but this seems a little far-fetched. Is it likely that a kid would like to go to camp so he can con other kids out of what essentially is mostly nickels and dimes, with a few slightly larger takes?
April 10, 2019
What a great book for Middle Grade Readers! Camp Shady Crook is a fun, adventurous story of 2 kids' experience at camp and their budding friendship. I love that this book has main characters of both genders, that their friendship crosses those sometimes rigid gender lines. I look forward to recommending this book to young readers!
December 15, 2019
Kids from all over the United States each year to go to Camp Sandy Crook for a week to experience the Great outdoors instead of being manipulated by screens infront of you . This year Archie Drake seems to be the big boss over there controlling everyone . He acts as if he is a millionaire . Can Archie Drake keep this act up or will he fall ?
April 8, 2019
Camp Shady Crook is a fun read for middle aged readers. It is adventurous, funny and clever, and it makes you feel like you are living inside of its pages. Highly recommend this to readers looking for an funny book with a creative plot.
August 20, 2019
3.5 A fun read with boy/girl POV about 2 rival campers at a summer camp conning other kids out of their spending $. It’s a got a real Camp Nowhere vibe and perfect for fans of Under Locker and Key by Allison Hymas and Fourth Stall by Chris Rylander
March 30, 2021
Fun read with a satisfying comeuppance at the end. Needed a better proofing: one side character's name changed 2/3 of the way through and there were some other minor errors. Short chapters kept it moving along nicely.
May 26, 2019
EARC from Edelweiss Plus
This summer camp story had me hooked! It is a good suggestion for students who enjoyed the Terrible Two series.
This summer camp story had me hooked! It is a good suggestion for students who enjoyed the Terrible Two series.
May 28, 2019
Very compelling.
June 24, 2019
An enjoyable light read, although a bit slow in the first half. Less snarky than Terrible Two and less complicated than Great Greene Heist. Good for grades 3-5.
December 3, 2019
Fun read for kids who like to read books with high jinx. However, I had trouble connecting with the characters.
December 27, 2019
DNF for Camp Shady Crook. Annoying main characters, difficult-to-read style, and a little confusing.
August 1, 2020
An enjoyable read about friendship and being true to yourself.
Want to read
April 1, 2021Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.
Read
September 23, 2021I don't really like the book.
Read
October 7, 2021achy the main charcator goes to camp. they play games and have fun at the camp
August 20, 2022
Fun MG read. Perfect for fans of Gordon Korman.
July 16, 2024
Cute story of crime and redemption w little kid campers. Very readable
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews