Camp Average: Double Foul

Camp Average #2

by Craig Battle

It’s a new summer at Camp Avalon—which Mack and his friends still affectionately call Camp Average. After last season’s big baseball victory, camp director Winston wants to continue the winning streak. So he’s launched a competitive program for elite athletes—including a new group of girl campers.

When Winston enters his charges in a high-stakes basketball tournament, Mack opts out in favor of other, less competitive activities. But Mack starts to suspect he’s being played, as one by one, his favorite camp activities all get closed for repairs.

Meanwhile, Winston pits boys against girls in a twisted attempt to win. To undermine Winston’s hypercompetitive scheme once again, Mack creates a plan of his own—but it means he needs to secretly sabotage both the boys’ and girls’ teams. Will Mack match wits with Winston and save the camp from the diabolical director’s clutches once and for all? Or will Mack’s own mischief be exposed—and lose him his summer and his friends? The second Camp Average book is a fast-paced and funny addition to this all-star series.

Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction

272 pages, Hardcover

First published April 15, 2020

About the author

Craig 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.

Reviews

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an odd story. I didn’t read the first one, so I missed out getting to know the kids, but otherwise I was fine. It’s a sports camp, and there’s a weaselly counselor obsessed with winning who forces the main kid to play certain sports. In this book it’s basketball. The weasel’s underhandedness was clever and sneaky, but I didn’t quite understand the motivations or why nobody else noticed.

The book has a lot of play-by-play accounts of basketball, which was actually pretty interesting. I am bored by sports, but at least I know the gist of playing basketball. There were some sports terms used that I did not know. So I’d give these books to young kids who prefer sports to reading.



Language: Clean
Sexual Content: None
Violence/Gore: None
Harm to Animals: None
Harm to Children: None
Other (Triggers): Unfairness, deviousness

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 3 out of 5]

The coaches and kids of Camp Avalon/Average are all back for another summer of fun and this time there are girls in the main character category. After giving a 5 star rating to the first installment of this series, I was excited to see an ARC listed on both NetGalley and Edelweiss and was hoping for the laughter level of book 1. It didn’t happen. Once again, Mack must match wits with Winston in his efforts to just enjoy the recreational activities of camp instead of engaging in the hyper-competitive attitude of the adults in charge, but this time, he may alienate his friends instead of uniting them in a single goal. For me, the plot plodded rather than raced like it did in book one and it was a bit of a struggle to finish. The ending was satisfying, but I wonder if new readers and fans of the series opener will hang with it? Camp Average is a library “must-have,” but librarians may want to gauge the enthusiasm for that one as they consider purchasing “Double Foul.” On the up side, Battle keeps his novel free of any potential red flags and if diversity is a critical factor in purchasing decisions, book 2 is a bit more clear in establishing that the main characters come from varied backgrounds.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 2 out of 5]

Double Foul (Camp Average #2) by Craig Battle, 272 pages. OwlKids, 2020. $17

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Mack and his friends are back at Camp Average (Camp Avalon) for another summer, and things are much better. There are even girls at Camp this year. Unlike last year, this year the baseball team loses to Camp Killington. Since Winston was promoted to be the camp director based on the win from last year, he is desperate for a win of any kind. Mack has been spending his time swimming and playing, but in order to win, Winston needs Mack on that basketball team. Threats to the happiness of all the other campers will do it. Mack will play along, but he has plans – because there is no way he can let Winston win.

I love a great sports book – a combination of well-written play and human interest is a great draw. This is not that kind of sports book. It is instead a story of machinations and hijinks – children battling adults (nothing wrong with that per se). Just not satisfying when it is all about manipulation.

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2020...

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

The battle between Mack and Winston, the camp director, continues in a second summer. This time the focus is the basketball team and Winston has changed his tactics so that Mack again gets the blame when things go wrong. In the end, readers see all of the campers grow up a bit more and work together.
Plenty of humor for middle grade readers.

[Pam Withers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a high-action, humorous read that will delight anyone who has ever been to summer camp or played sports, especially basketball. The second in the series, the novel alludes to people and action in the first book, yet not so much that the reader can't read it as a standalone. Since the camp has just let girls enroll, the novel includes strong, athletic female characters as well as a diverse cast. The plot revolves around the main character, Mack, trying to rally his friends to oust the evil camp director, who is overly concerned with his own reputation as coach, and is crazy-determined that the camp's basketball team win at all costs. How do they discredit him without sabotaging their own playing? The novel is hilarious, and the basketball action is plentiful and well narrated (though readers might want to bone up on basketball jargon). The author, a former journalist, coach and camp counselor, keeps it realistic and fun all the way. Sports lovers, and anyone who likes fast-paced, humorous books, this one's for you.

[Maria Antonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Opening Line: Mackenzie Jones had seen this look on his friend's face before.

My Thoughts: This time, the Camp Average kids are focused on basketball! At first, Mack refuses to leave his beloved swimming activities, even though basketball's his favorite sport. But, one by one, all the camp activities mysteriously get shut down... leaving only the sports team. Oh, and rocketry. Mack's convinced it's due to Winston, and he's not wrong when all the swimming facilities suddenly open up when Mack joins the basketball team!

This summer, the camp has opened up to girls. So in order to prepare for the big sporting event at the end of camp, the boys' team plays the girls' team. But Mack and his friends decide to give Winston a little more grief as they sabotage the practice games. (They really don't want Winston to win!) But when Winston does his own sabotage, they suddenly change their minds and try to figure out how to play the game.

This book has a nice lead into what appears to be a third book.

[DaNae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another summer, and those wily kids at Camp Average and up their old shenanigans again. Well it might just be Mack leading the shenanigans against the equally devious shenanigans of their deceitful camp director, Winston. Who is going to win the battle wills to get a mishmash of a basketball team to the championship?

I enjoy this series, there is enough sports play to keep the sporty readers involved and enough other fun kid stuff to interest the readers who can’t tell a home run from a jump shot.

[Lana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Camp Average: Double Foul is the fun sequel to the original Camp Average story. I really enjoyed the first one and was excited to read this sequel as all the same characters were together at camp again. Plus girls are in the picture at camp this summer which I thought would add a lot to the story. Even though it was a fun and interesting storyline, it was missing something that the first book had. I do think middle grade kids will enjoy this one, it’s just not as captivating as the first. I give this sequel a 4 star.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finally got my hands on Book 2 in this series. It is a lot of fun and a quick read. Camp Average sounds like a great place to spend the summer. And some of the things the kids get into are funny. I hope the series continues.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5. Better than the 1st book, especially with the somewhat twist ending so on to the 3rd lol

[Katelyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really my cup of tea, there was some good scenes in the story but the rest of it was boring.

[Andréa]

Note: I received an ARC of this book at ALA Midwinter 2020.

[SoccerReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5, actually. The boys are hilarious, and it's completely clean. Good middle grade.