A cute enough story with a simple plot. It's easy to follow and nicely, if simply, illustrated. A decent choice for kids beginning to read independently.

Cute book. Artwork is well done, and conveys important messages about friendship. The crafting component is great especially since there are instructions in the back to complete the crafts, making it interactive!

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra

Crafty Cat and the Crafty Camp Crisis by Charise Mericle Harper is a fun graphic novel. The main character, Birdie, can switch in to her alter-ego (Crafty Cat) when things get tough. No one else can see Crafty Cat, it is all in Birdie’s mind.

This book deals with a variety of issues. Birdie must learn how to appreciate and accept that other kid’s have differing interests from her own, not just her own “crafty” interests. There is also the issue of a bully (Anya) and how Birdie deals with this. Frankly, I did not like Anya and maybe some intervention by an adult would have been warranted given Anya’s propensity for nastiness. Regardless, Birdie managed to deal with Anya. As a side note…doesn’t Anya have more depth than just being nasty? That would have been nice to see.

The kids at Crafty Camp are making Monster Crafts. While creating these crafts, the reader can certainly get a sense of each child at camp. And then when they switch to the gymnasium, those personalities come out even stronger as well as a heightened sense of competitiveness. This requires more from Birdie and this is where you see Crafty Cat come out.

I liked her relationship with her best friend Evan – it is heartwarming. When things did not go Birdie’s way, she did stop and forced herself to think and accept her friend and his feelings. Though I must admit for a moment, I did not think that would happen.

The illustrations were fun. I enjoyed the introduction of Crafty King, just before Anya was a bit nasty again.

Another aspect that I found fun is that this book has a how-to for each of the crafts at the end of the book. Excellent for those young crafters at home. So, if you have a young girl who is into crafts then Crafty Cat and the Crafty Camp Crisis may be a good book to read and craft from.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

Crafty Cat is at it again! This time she is excited about participating in a daylong craft camp being held at her school. On the way there she makes compromises with her friend who does not want to go to school for a craft camp: After they camp, they will play the friend's favorite game and Crafty Cat will have to stay by her friend's side even during his victory dance.

Camp proves to be a disappointment to Crafty Cat because, among other things, Anya is bullying her throughout. However, by the end of the book Crafty Cat, and readers who follow the instructions included in the last pages of the book, will have created some pretty cool things and learned valuable lessons about what friends do for each other.

In this installment of Crafty Cat, we go with Birdie to craft camp held at her school. She is so excited to go but is surprised by some things that have her feeling disappointed and sad about the day.

Birdie must overcome her disappointment, learn to deal with a bully, and figure out how to see things from other people's perspectives during her camp experience. While talking with her friend (a cloud) she learns to be strong and stand up for herself, that it is ok to show emotion but also to talk it out and that she needs to be able to share other interests as well as her love of crafting.

This book, while a graphic novel, was on the longer side. Birdie has a lot of conflicts and I think that for younger readers these might have been better received if they had been broken up a bit. I also think that while Birdie does well in the end that she tends to be a little bossy and annoying at first and not a totally likable character - she is a bit rude sometimes.

However a lot of this is made up for by the crafts and tutorials at the end of the book - they include supply lists and instructions and I think that parents and kids will really enjoy them. Most of them are paper crafts too so you won't need many things!

Review on blog will go love on August 8.

This is a very cute book. The artwork is simple but very well done. It has a great message for kids about the importance of friendship. I especially love the crafting angle and that the instructions for the crafts are included at the end. I did not read the first one in this series but I have to go find it now!

Crafty Cat and the Crafty Camp Crisis, by Charise Mericle Harper, (Aug. 2017, 01FirstSecond), $13.99, ISBN: 9781626724853

Recommended for readers 6-9

Birdie is headed to Monster Craft Camp! It's a day of crafting at school, headed up by the custodian, but it's a day of crafting, and Birdie - who's alter ago is Crafty Cat - is prepared! Now, if only her best friend, Evan would show up on time... and oh, Anya, the meanest girl in school, is here today, too. Looks like this may be a job for Crafty Cat!

This latest installment of Crafty Cat tackles handling a difficult member of a group project how to make the best out of a situation when things don't go as planned. Monster Craft Camp isn't exactly what Birdie thought it would be, and Anya is being her rude, mean self, but just when Birdie finds herself getting frustrated and sad, Crafty Cat takes over and saves the day! It's a fun way to communicate resiliency, optimism, and working with difficult partners.


As with the previous Crafty Cat adventure, there are crafts and at the end of the book. A handy supply list tells readers what they need, and step-by-step directions walk little crafters through their own monster crafts. There are templates available for photocopying.


This is such a fun little series for younger readers! A definite add to the graphic novel shelf.

Crafty Cat is back and this time she's headed for Crafty Camp! Things don't always go as planned for Birdie at camp.

Complete with crafts from the book in the back.

So I liked this one better than the first Adventures of Crafty Cat. I felt like this was less disjointed and came together better. I would say it would be a good fit for kids in the K-2 age range.

Readers of Fashion Kitty are going to be so excited for this new series! Very cute!

Cute graphic novel for younger readers, especially my little "makers" in the library.

Still adorable and with some good lessons for kids. I enjoy that Birdie isn't a perfect kid; she is occasionally bratty and selfish and rude but at heart she's a good kid who cares about other people almost as much as she cares about crafting. I like that there are instructions at the end of the comic so kids can make their own crafts from the story. My only complaint is that I wish Anya could have a little more depth and not be such a mean girl all the time. I know she's ostensibly the villain but it gets a little wearing how she's just so mean and rude all the time. I'd love a smidge of nuance as to why she's like that, or maybe Anya learning a bit of a lesson so she can grow and change. But otherwise this comic is great and I definitely want more.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wonderfully weird title for younger readers! Instructions for cool crafts are included.