Library Camps

In the twelfth book of the Capital Mysteries—an early chapter book mystery series featuring fun facts and famous sites from Washington, D.C.—a legend says that on a dead president's birthday, his ghost haunts the famous retreat, Camp David. KC and Marshall are going there on October 14, President Eisenhower's birthday. They aren't worried, until strange things start happening. How did a bat get trapped in their cabin? Why is there blood-red dirt in the trunk by the couch? And what is making the weird thumping noise? It's not Eisenhower's ghost...is it?

Alyssa finds an amethyst, a stone believed to aid in psychic awareness. Suddenly she's interpreting dreams and making predictions, all with 100 percent accuracy. While half the camp girls are believers, the other half are skeptics, attributing the gem's track record to coincidence. Not that Alyssa cares what anyone thinks. In fact, she's so attached to the amethyst, she names it Amy. But when a prediction causes the bunk to miss a Phillies game - where Justin Timberlake sings - even the believers cross over to the dark side.

Jenna is psyched to have all of her friends up to her lake house! Greenwood Lake is so much fun, especially on Memorial Day weekend, when they have an annual county picnic and an old-fashioned carnival. The weekend is off to a perfect start... until Jenna’s brother invites David, her old crush and Sarah’s current boyfriend! Jenna handles the situation by trying to ignore David. But when the picnic rolls around and she and David are partnered up for the three-legged race, the sparks that fly between them are way too electric to ignore!

When Natalie’s dad is nominated for a Best Actor Oscar, she flies to L.A. for the week, where she plans to hang out with Tori and take her to the Oscars. But when Natalie hits it off with Tori’s friend Reed, Tori feels left out and picks a giant fight, which culminates in Natalie rescinding Tori’s invitation to the Oscars and giving it to Reed instead. Cut to: Natalie and Tori and their tearful reconciliation. Unfortunately, the only way for Natalie to really enjoy this happily ever-after ending is to find a replacement ticket to the Oscars!

Sworn city girl Natalie Goode is actually back - voluntarily - at Lakepuke for more. More mess-food cooking, more bug-infested bunk beds, and even more nature shack (well, maybe not nature shack; a girl has to maintain some standards, after all). And even though the returning 3C-ers have been split up, she’s still got Alyssa as her bunkmate and official summertime BFF. Unfortunately, there’s a new camper on the scene! Tori is sophisticated, literate, and very cute. Good thing Natalie’s not the jealous type, or is she?

During Color War, Natalie buddies up to the sixth division girls and ditches her fifth division friends, who couldn't be more immature. Then Nat inadvertently catches the attention of a sixth division boy, and without so much as a blink of an eye, she's kicked out of the sixth division circle flat on her fifth division butt. Will Nat's friends take her back? Sure, but first she'll have to own up to a lot of immaturity on her part.

Gaby’s had it with “The Chelsea Show”. So she embarks on her own attention-seeking campaign, and claims the boy on a Survivor-type TV program for teens is her brother. At first this seems like the perfect get-popular-quick scheme. That is, until the boy wins the competition and is awarded the grand prize: a trip to Australia, leaving immediately... WITH HIS ENTIRE FAMILY! Forget popularity - unless Gaby figures out a way to convince her bunkmates that she’s on the next flight out to Australia, she’ll never be able to show her face at Lakeview again.

It's Alex Kim's fourth year at Camp Lakeview, so there's nothing mysterious about her. Everyone knows that she's a star athlete and an all-around leader, and if they don't, never-shy Alex will be more than happy to fill them in. But Alex is holding something back this summer, and her friends are beginning to notice. Can they figure out what's been bothering their friend before the summer ends?

Funny and talented, Grace Matthews is everyone's friend. But when the girls in bunk 3C pair off, Grace realizes she's the only one without a best friend. Soon, Grace starts hanging out with Kerri, a girl from a rival bunk, who starts bullying Grace and those around her. Will Grace have the courage to stand up for herself - even if it means standing on her own?

Jenna Bloom swore she’d behave herself this summer. She knows that one more practical joke and even her friends won’t be so friendly anymore. But when she’s sidelined from the color war by an unexpected injury, will Jenna revert to her mischievous ways? Could the ultimate prank be, ultimately, way too tempting?

Presidents' Weekend is coming up, and Tori's parents have invited four of her closest friends to their Tahoe home for a ski trip! No sooner have the girls booked their tickets to California than they learn that the Lakeview reunion is also scheduled for that weekend. Will the fourth years be separated for reunion weekend?

It’s the camp reunion, and everyone from Bunk 3C is going to NYC for the weekend! And with the girls planning a big surprise for one of their bunkmates, it’s sure to be just like old times. But when everyone meets up, it’s obvious that things have changed - the bunk has split up into different cliques! Bunk 3C was always the most fun when everyone got along, but can the girls fix everything before it’s time to leave one another again?

This true story took place at the emergency farm-labor camp immortalized in Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. Ostracized as "dumb Okies," the children of Dust Bowl migrant laborers went without school—until Superintendent Leo Hart and 50 Okie kids built their own school in a nearby field.