Camp Tallawanda

by Michael Dave

“CAMP TALLAWANDA will change your life,” at least that’s what Ricky’s new next-door neighbor, TJ Stanton says. Ricky Collins moved into town on the last day of sixth grade. According to TJ, Ricky’s only chance to make friends before junior high is at summer camp. The only way to make friends at camp is to play lacrosse. Ricky doesn’t know anything about lacrosse; he doesn’t even know it exists.

Tucked away in the mountains, and several hours from his parents, Ricky might actually have a shot at enjoying his summer. However, if he wants to fit in with the kids from his cabin, he’ll have to learn lacrosse. Maybe, he’ll even muster up the courage to talk to girls. Just one problem: the eighth grade cabin, and those guys are really good at lacrosse.

258 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2019

About the author

Michael Dave likes jokes. He was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, where he lives now. He graduated from Miami University, then went on to law school and became an attorney. This is Michael’s first novel. @realmikedave

Reviews

[Timothy Baldwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Camp Tallawanda, by Mike Dave, tells the story of new kid, Ricky Collins, entering a new school on the very last day of elementary school. He knows nobody, and his seemingly overprotective parents won’t let him do anything. This, and Ricky’s belief that he will enter junior high school as a loser and a nobody, especially if he doesn’t get to go to summer camp. Enter neighborhood friend, TJ, and much begging on Ricky’s part, and summer camp truly begins.

In this coming of age novel about growing up and being a team player, readers will experience all the joys and heartaches of summer camp. Plus, they’ll learn a few great lessons about the sport of lacrosse. This story has everything a younger reader needs and so much more. Pick up your copy today and read through this fun, summer camp adventure.

[Jessica Fitzpatrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

@realmikedave has done a fantastic job with Camp Tallawanda! Such a fantastic, coming of age #mgnovel about Ricky trying to find the place where he belongs •
Ricky moved to a new town and the only way he can make friends before starting junior high is by going to camp and playing lacrosse, which could be a problem because he didn’t even knew lacrosse existed! After a great deal of convincing of his parents, he goes to camp. All the boys in his cabin are super dedicated to lacrosse and the pressure is put on poor Ricky when the 8th grade cabin challenges the 7th grade cabin in a lacrosse game. Will he come through and support his cabin? Will he get the girls and make friends before starting a new school? Read this book about a sweet kid finding his way 🥍 •
I adored this book! I haven’t been reading much because I am the tennis coach and trying to get my CDL has killed me lately....I digress, I have been in a reading desert and thankfully this first book of 2020 had it all, it was funny, had life lessons and competition all of which my middle school students love!! •
Overall, I loved Camp Tallawanda and can’t wait for my students to devour this novel! It’s going to be huge with #middlegrade readers! I can’t wait to see what @realmikedave does next!!! 💗📚 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 #middlegradefiction #yalit #igreads #bookreview #mglit

[Library BrOOKS · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m not the intended audience for this book, but it is my job to recommend books to middle grade students. Camp Tallawanda is a light-spirited book that some kids may find entertaining. Students might relate to some of the social issues that Ricky, the main character, deals with. However relatable, some of the actions of these teens are odd like laughing at someone's hair, talking/ thinking in complete sentences for the majority of the book. As an adult, I found this book to be rather bland. The plot flows quickly, but there is nothing surprising or new about this book. The author explains lacrosse thoroughly, and a novice would be able to pick up the basic back and forth of the game. It is also riddled with grammatical errors as well as plot holes, which makes reading the book difficult. Overall, this book has potential to encourage kids to be themselves, but lacks the depth to truly connect with them.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not a huge sports fan, but I bought this for my nephew and ended up reading it first anyway after reading the first few pages. It's both funny and poignant; the author somehow manages to connect (all these years later) to the middle-school age group the writing targets in a really fresh, genuine, and relatable way through a varied cast of engaging characters — particularly Ricky, the newcomer in town (even as an adult I related to his newbie struggle). Overall, it's a really fun story. Bonus points for hearing my nephew laugh while reading it. I consider anything that can keep him engaged a win.