The Secret of Shadow Lake

Creature Campers #1

by Joe McGee, Bea Tormo (Illustrations)

Being the new kid at camp is never easy, especially for a bigfoot, a hyperactive jackalope, a fairy who can barely fly, and the only human boy!

Norm is worried about fitting in at camp. Literally. He’s not just tall for a kid. He’s tall even for a bigfoot. Oliver, the only human at camp, has the opposite problem: he’s small enough that a strong wind might knock him over. With the help of their new friends, Hazel (a hyperactive jackalope) and Wisp (a boy fairy who has trouble flying), they’ll have to work together to earn their canoeing certification without disturbing the resident lake monster—or Barnaby Snoop, who will stop at nothing to capture Norm for his personal rare creature collection.

Genres: Fantasy, Humor, Adventure, Action, Childrens, Friendship

96 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2019

Reviews

[Maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

I loved it! It's super fun and the characters are just awesome. This is a story that will make you smile from start to finish and you definitely won't regret buying it. Also the illustrations are really good and are a great help to envision the whole story, so I'm sure the kids will love them. As for the characters personalities, they were all so different and that never made a single one of them boring. You get a bigfood, human, fairy, jackalope and amongs others also a friendly lake monster. Mind you I also liked the villain of the story. Everything just fit and I had a great time reading about these characters adventure. Just a fun short and magical story.

[Cadee · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I read this book while camping. I liked it because they were camping in the book too. It reminded me of my church camp. It was called Camp Moonlight in the book. The main characters were Norm, Wisp, Hazel, Zeena, Furrow Grumplestick, and Oliver. There is a bad guy named Barnaby Snoop. The good guys tried to canoe and and right when then were about to stop a lake monster came up. They helped each other then had s'mores." -Cadee, age 8

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful little story about Camp Moonlight and all the magical creatures that attend along with one human boy. It's a fun story and the various characters are all the ones you might have read about in the various fantasy and fairytale stories you read as a child. There is a bigfoot family, a fairy, a jackalope and more. They all arrive at camp some more nervous than others. They are thrown right into camp activities such as canoeing. It was amusing to see a bigfoot, Norm, trying to stay afloat in a canoe with a human boy. They finally figure it out and eventually meet up with a friendly lake monster. Throw in an evil, rich, guy who wants to add a bigfoot to his collection of interesting creatures and you have a fun adventure. This is a beginning chapter book with wonderful illustrations. None of the creatures look scary at all and my 3 year old grandchild loved this story, especially because she loves monsters. It is a story about trying new things, working together, helping each other and friendship. We read this one over a few sittings and when I finished, both grandchildren requested that I read it again. I definitely recommend this one to family, classroom, school and public libraries. This is a new series of books called "epic originals" and I look forward to seeing more in the Creature Campers line. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book upon request. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.

[The Endless Unread · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was something very different. Unusual or should I say funusual? Haha. Inside joke. The characters are really fun to get to to know and each have their own quirks and personalities. The illustrations are engaging and will capture your imagination. Loved reading this.

[J.L. Slipak · Rating 5 out of 5]

MY THOUGHTS:

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

These Epic! Originals are fantastic easy readers. This book is a riot to read. A camp for odd creatures and a villain wanting to capture them for his collection/carnival. There's illustrations to push the story along and great characters to smile at and love. You'll love Wisp, Hazel, Norm and of course, Oliver. My favorite is Norm--a bigfoot.

This is an ongoing series that is full of funny, bright illustrations. It's great for chapter book readers, those who struggle with reading, special needs individuals, adults who want a chuckle and all those in between! A quick read and funny! You need to explore your imagination and get this book. It's going to be a new series that I'm sure kids will enjoy!

[Pop Bop · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Cheerful Early Chapter Book

This book touches all of the bases in a cheerfully antic fashion.

We have four mismatched creature campers, who learn to work together as a team and form an engaging friendship. Each kid camper arrives at camp with a mild problem, and each grows up a bit during the course of the adventure. Just to round things out there's a Snidely Whiplash sort of bad guy trying to trap kid creatures, and there's a friendly lake monster.

The scenes involving these four goofs trying to learn how to enter and paddle a canoe are amusing and high energy. Their rescue of the lake monster is suitably gripping for an early chapter book.

Vocabulary seems appropriate and all of the jokes and amusing asides are kid friendly. There's nothing edgy going on, and the author plays it straight with the conventions of a book like this. Actually, the camp director gets in a few deadpan lines here and there, so there is a bit to interest an older reader or a parent doing some bedtime reading-to.

The illustrations are colorful and inviting and complement the text, and the action, nicely. There's something drawn on almost every page, and the look is inviting.

So, this struck me as a fine book for a younger, newly independent, reader. (Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Norm is a bigfoot and though his father rants and raves about his years at Camp Moonlight, Norm isn't too sure about this camp thing. He's had a huge growth spurt recently and he's worried about being the biggest one at camp. Sure enough, when he arrives he doesn't fit in his bed and the canoeing challenge looks like it is going to be a huge challenge. But he's not the only nervous one in his cabin. Hazel is a hyperactive jackalope, Wisp is a fairy with uneven wing growth and troubles flying, and Oliver is the only human at camp (and therefore feels like he's got a huge target on his back). And as if their personal challenges weren't enough, there's a certain Barnaby Snoop lurking around camp hoping to bag some mythical creatures. Can these 4 misfits pass their canoeing challenge or are they doomed to failure or Barnaby's snares?

This was a fun little adventure with mostly mythical creatures who all feel like misfits in one way or another. You can't help but cheer for them. Barnaby Snoop seems to be the descendant of Snidely Whiplash with a touch of Wiley Coyote blood. He's sinister but also laughable and therefore the tension never feels too serious. The color illustrations every so often in this book really help to bring the characters and setting to life. The vocabulary in this is a little higher than the average lower grade book so it definitely feels aimed at high lower grade readers or reluctant middle grade readers. Recommended to summer camp story fans, and mythical creature fans.

No content issues.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an attractive short novel, well presented for the under-tens, but one that contains little in the way of depth or surprise. Take a Bigfoot, a human child, a fairy and a jackalope, and put them in a summer camp for canoe exercises. Then put them on a lake where there is a legend – only a legend, mind – of a monster within it. Then add an evil adult human with designs on completing his collection of creatures, with not the non-existent monster but the Bigfoot. Problems are that we're with the little Bigfoot at the start, but it soon becomes an ensemble piece, and what empathy and liking for the character is a little lost; the jackalope speaks nineteen to the dozen, which is all very well but if you can't read nineteen to the dozen the effect is kind of wasted; and that things are just too predictable. But that does kind of have to go out the window if you've read few books, and perhaps are a reluctant reader. In that instance, this is worth considering – the design is great, with the artist really nailing some images – certainly the Bigfoot suffering from lack of sleep must look like the real thing. And there is also humour to be had here and there, not so much from the main characters, but the camp director has a vivid cameo or three. I see few people saying they love this, unless to repeat they're seldom known for choosing their own reading material, but it will serve as an entertainment for a while, and on that basis I'll nudge this up to four stars.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even Bigfoot youngsters worry about fitting in. When Norm goes off to summer camp, he isn't sure if he will be able to make any friends because he's so tall. But as it turns out, there are plenty of campers interested in befriending him, possibly because they also worry about their perceived inadequacies. This band of misfit--Oliver, who is very small; Hazel, who has energy to spare; and Wisp, a fairy with flying challenges--comes together to get earn their certification in canoeing. But they'll have to do it while contending with a lake creature who turns out to be friendly as well as all the plotting by the conniving Barnaby Snoop, who is determined to catch Norm. I liked the idea behind the story, and it will appeal to some youngsters in first, second or third grade , but everything happened too fast for me. I need a little bit more development in my stories. The simple but colorful illustrations show the characters' personalities as they navigate life at camp and try to find their way.

[Jill Jemmett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun story about going to camp.

Norm is nervous about going to camp for the first time. That’s because he is a Big Foot and he doesn’t know what to expect there. The camp accepts all different kinds of creatures, including big foots, jackalopes, and humans. Norm and his new friends end up having fun, and discovering a secret in the lake at camp. There was also a classic villain who wanted to catch Norm. He was an old man who kept foiling his own plot.

This story reminded me of the Lumberjanes because of the different camp creatures. It also reminded me of the Christmas series by Matt Haig because of how Norm learned to fit in with other creatures who were not like him.

I really enjoyed this cute camp story.

Thank you Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three mythical creatures (a bigfoot , a jackalope, and a boy fairy with uneven wings) plus one small human boy, find themselves together at Camp Moonlight for the summer. Norm (the bigfoot) and the little boy Oliver are like tweens who are at that awkward stage with squeaky voices and strong feelings of wanting to fit in. At camp they have to pass their canoeing certification on the lake where there is rumored to be a dreadful lake monster! Add to this mix, an unsuccessful villain, Barnaby Snoop, who schemes to capture Norm for his rare creature collection. Their adventures are humorous and fitting for the 4 unlikely characters to become good friends.

[Jennifer M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I  received a free digital copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

I honestly have no idea what I thought this book would be, but it definitely exceeded all of my expectations! The illustrations are adorable! I definitely wish it was longer, it was so good!

Imagine a summer camp for all the misfits: fairies, jackalope, Bigfoot, gnomes, aliens and a lone human. Now picture a rare creature collector trying to capture the kids while boating! Love it!


Good lord, I hope this is a series!

[Nicola · Rating 2 out of 5]

Miss 6 liked that there were colour illustrations but she just didn't get into the book characters / plot. We did read the whole book (which ends with the set-up for the next book / next day) but I don't think we'll continue with the series.

Miss 6 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular topics or themes. We try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.

[Allison Turkish · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is okay but nothing about it made me think it was great. It was too formulaic for me.

In the very beginning, the Big Foot main character grows big overnight which is described as being like a teenager. A child who reads in-between books is not going to understand that reference nor the one about voice changing.

There is one use of the word “stupid” which I prefer authors not to use. There is a character that looks like an alien and SPOILER ALERT a monster like the Loch Ness (who is friendly), but otherwise the book is appropriate for age 6+.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ginormous Strider “Norm” is a Bigfoot. His father is sending him to Camp Moonlight but Norm does not want to go. He’s worried that he won’t fit with his size and all. He complains about his long limbs and his hirsute body. But his father assuages his concerns assures him that he’s normal seeing as “he’s a Bigfoot and not a smallfoot”.

At the camp, they meet a the camp director who’s a grump gnome named Furrow Grumplestick. Just then another camper approaches them—a human named Oliver Fitzpatrick.

Unbeknownst to Norm, he’s being watched by a stranger—his name is Barnaby Snoop and he’s a world-famous collector of rare creatures. He’s plotting to add a Bigfoot to his collection

Furrow then proceeds to take them on a tour of the camp. When they finally reached the dining hall, they run into an alien-looking creature with three fingers. She introduces herself to them as Zeena Morf, the counselor.

She leads the group to her cabin and introduces them to the other campmates: Hazel, a brown rabbit with long antlers that talks faster than she runs. According to Hazel, she’s a Jackalope—part jack rabbit, part antelope. She even thinks she might be part raccoon. There’s Wisp, a boy with pointy ears and uneven wings.

On their first day at camp, Zeena is going to teach them canoe skills in Shadow Lake.🛶 Meanwhile, Barnaby has been stalking them in his submarine. While paddling across the lake, Norm sights a Barnaby and thinking his boat is capsizing, they throw his their life preserver and tell him to hang on.

While trying to rescue the man from his boat they get sidetracked by a monster stuck in a net. Momentarily they forget they were supposed to save the man, and instead tried to untangle the sea creature from the net.

A fun story accompanied by beautiful illustrations. Overall, a good read and I would recommend to kids.

Thank you to Joe McGee, NetGalley, and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

[Susan Underbrink · Rating 4 out of 5]

A big thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is a children's book. What a crazy fun book! I enjoyed reading this. The graphics were hilarious. I think early middle schoolers will like this 2-5 grade. I could of course be off on the grades. 4 stars.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super fun and original series opener that is sure to fly off the shelves. Norm, the main character, is a Big Foot and his name is short for Ginormous. He goes away to his first camp with lots of other creatures and one human kid who doesn't know how he got signed up for the non-human camp! Meanwhile there is a creature catcher determined to get Norm. Will he succeed? Read the book to find out!

[Mehsi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I was instantly interested when I spotted this book on Netgalley. A book about camping? With creatures (and a human)? With fun illustrations? Sure, I had to try it out.

Review to come in September.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four little misfits go to camp and learn some confidence through friendship and adventure.

I enjoyed the humorous Barnaby Snoop trying to catch himself a mythical creature. He was the classic bumbling villain.

[Linda Klein · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good choice for beginning chapter book readers. Not as many illustrations as other Epic readers (like Press Start), but still plenty of full color pictures. The cryptic characters should appeal to many young readers. Pretty silly and pretty fun!

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun book that I enjoyed with my daughter. It had some laugh out loud moments and some silly antics. It was fun for the younger kids.

[J.D. DeHart · Rating 5 out of 5]

A likable book for young readers, recommended for classroom and school library use. Joe McGee writes well and composes a story that will inspire interest.

[January Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this, and so did my children! I will most certainly buy them the entire series! Fun and colorful! A total delight!

[Andréa]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Ricky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute intro in to a text heavy book for kids.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

We thought this was so cute and so funny!!!

[Danalli Calhoun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, fun story to read with my son.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

We didn't like it much, it goes a bit too much into describing the room, or objects, it made it a bit boring