This was an ok summer camp book with a ghostly side. The main character is going to summer camp to finally have friends and get away from her school bullies. Only when she gets there, her bully is there as well, and it doesn't look like anything is going to be different.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced reader's copy and the opportunity to read this early. Review has been posted on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

This spooky summer camp story would actually be best read around the campfire! This would be a great one to read in the summer when you're just looking for a fun read.

Camp Scare was a spooky book perfect for fans of Mary Downing Hahn (the grand dame of scary ghost stories in my opinion). Dawson might have what it takes to fill Hahn's shoes providing us with the new queen of middle reader ghost stories.

Camp Scare provided all of the necessary components of a good ghost story. Spooky settings, great back story for the ghost but the most important part of a good ghost story is the emotional component. All good ghost stories have an emotional trauma/issue for the main character that makes the character vulnerable and isolated. That isolation makes them the perfect person for the ghost to connect with. In the case of Camp Scare, our main character Parker is horrendously bullied at school and hopes to get away from it all at Camp Care, an anti-bully camp. But in fact, the camp is just as bad if not worse than the school. And even one of her bullies is there, continuing the never-ending cycle of abuse. I have to admit it was hard as an adult reading this and seeing how useless the adults were in Parker's life. It was honestly heartbreaking.

Overall, this was a real, emotional contemporary ghost story that hit all the right notes. I will recommend to all my middle readers looking for a good scary book.

Parker had a bad thing happened to her with some girls at school so she is looking forward to camp, but when she gets there one of the girls that caused the problem is in her dorm room. She tells everyone that she did something bad and so now nobody there wants anything to do with her. She meet a camper from a different dorm and becomes friends with her, when she tells her about some of the girls making fun of her it seems like then something bad happens to those girls.

It was an okay book but I liked this authors book from last year a lot better.

In CAMP SCARE, written by Delilah S. Dawson, seventh grader Parker Nelson wants nothing more than to fit in, so when Cassandra DiVecchio—one of the popular girls from school—invites Parker to her house under the guise of working on a class project, the bullying that ensues goes viral.

As a way to make ‘amends,’ the school awards Parker with a scholarship to attend a week-long summer camp four hours away called Camp Care, a mountain setting in Georgia—a place known for its ‘commitment to emotional health and its zero-tolerance stance toward bullying,’ according to its website, that is anything but.

From day one, Parker is turned on and made to feel like an outsider by fellow campers and counselors who don’t believe her protests of innocence, that is, until Parker meets her new friend, Jenny, the only one who believes her.

As someone who was bullied as a kid many, many moons ago, and believe it or not, even as an adult, I can definitely relate to what Parker goes through and what she is forced to endure from kids and adults, which is more than heartbreaking.

Let us not forget CAMP SCARE is a Children’s Horror Novel that uses these elements to amp up the tension by revealing an even darker side of Camp Care’s history that refuses to be buried.

Is This A Difficult Read In Terms Of Subject Matter?

Yes!

Is CAMP SCARE A Book I Recommend To Create Awareness And Necessary Change?

Most Definitely!

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Children’s Books (Delacorte Press), for providing me with an eARC of CAMP SCARES at the request of an honest review.

Ages: 10 & Up
Grades: 5 – 7

Camp Scare was a well written middle grade mystery/thriller. At times I felt that the bullying aspect was taken a bit too far and seemed a little unbelievable that no adults took is seriously.

ok. when i saw this, i was hoping to be scared, but then I realized it was a MG book, so there were certain limitations. it was like a goosebump book. not super scary, but scary enough to frighten the younger age.

This was a great spooky story for kids. Everyone can relate to feeling like an outcast, and I really felt for and identified with the main character here. This book has some legitimately scary moments and a ton of heart!

Parker is a 12 year old girl who is bullied in school. She is excited to attend summer camp and welcomes the opportunity to be in a new location where nobody knows who she is so that she can finally make some friends. This ends very quickly when she is placed in the same cabin as Cassie, who is one of Parker's biggest bullies from school. Of course Cassie is already friends with all of the other campers and once again Parker is isolated and bullied. The teen counselors and adult staff at Camp Care are not very helpful and Parker continues to be bullied. One night she meets another camper Jenny and Parker finally gets to spend time with someone who doesn't bully her. The trouble is, Parker has trouble finding Jenny the next day at camp. Meanwhile, Parker hears rumors of something bad that happened in 1988 at Camp Care involving a camper known only as Gory Tori. Parker is intrigued by this mystery and wants to find out what happened. Will Parker solve the mystery of what really happened in 1988? Will Parker stop being bullied by nearly everyone with very little help from adults? Will Parker finally have her first friendship ever with Jenny?
Overall, I liked this story. I like that it is unafraid to take on the topic of bullying (including cyberbullying) and how it shows that the adults do not always know how to end it. It also showed that sometimes the adults in charge actually blame the victims for their own bullying or are accused of being bullies themselves. I liked how it also showed that bullying itself can be cyclical and that sometimes people who are bullied can become bullies themselves. I also liked the mystery to Camp Care and the Scooby Doo vibes that come with solving a mystery. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but this book is excellent for upper middle grades and higher who enjoy a creepy story.

I couldn't put this book down. My students have been asking for more horror books, so I will be purchasing a copy. I know this will be a popular book this fall. Bullying is a central theme in this book. I was really upset with the adults in this book and how horrible Parker is treated by the people around her. I couldn't stand Cassandra throughout the story. Cassandra is a good example of how a bullied person can turn into a bully.

Warnings: suicide, cutting, bullying, cyberbullying

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy for review!

I read The Violence earlier this year and loved it. My daughter and I decided to read this one together. ☺️

Poor Parker (the main character) is being bullied and is offered a scholarship to Camp Care. After being assigned a cabin with her nemesis from school, Cassandra, things go from bad to worse.

This story is a cautionary tale to those who are bullies and those that are bullied. How easy it is to fall into either role dependent on your environment.

I would have enjoyed a bit more of the supernatural, but my pre teen daughter enjoyed the drama. I will say that the end picked up and there were a few twists that I loved!

Perfect for middle-graders who are interested in the horror/supernatural genre!

This is an excellent mg book about a lonely girl at camp. She has always had trouble fitting in and was terribly bullied at school. When she gets to camp, she hopes to get away from her bullies, but that isn't exactly what happens. While she's at camp, she discovers the truth about herself and about the past.

I've been on a bit of a horror kick lately, and the setting of these book really appealed to me. I really liked the creepy summer camp and the mystery surrounding it. While I appreciated the focus on bullying, I think the fact that absolutely nobody listened to Parker and instantly hated her became a bit unrealistic. I also wish the characters had all been developed more. That being said, this was fast paced and I did enjoy reading it. This would be a good choice for fans of Mary Downing Hahn and other similar horror writers.

Camp Scare is a book that has the twin aims of highlighting middle-grade bullying and giving that same age group some legitimate scares. Dawson largely succeeds in both of those goals. It was a satisfying, spooky story that delivers some really good messaging. The only fault with "Camp Scare" is it felt about 70 pages too long. The twist involving another camper felt really obvious to me but then again, I'm 40 years old and have 20+ years of watching horror and sci-fi anthologies that have twist endings.
Solid, not too terrifying and worth recommending to kids looking for some light scares.

A great read for anyone who has been to summer camp or wants to go, and who loves spooky stories. This was also a nuanced look at bullying, and how being the outsider can affect different people. As I read, I really enjoyed reading about the camp experience, and could feel Parker's isolation as the other campers left her out. It reminded me of the premise of an episode from the TV series, Are You Afraid of the Dark. This was my favorite show growing up, and I was also a fan of R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike. Readers who want a scary read with a bit of mystery and a satisfying conclusion will enjoy this story.

I highly recommend this book for schools, libraries, and summer camps.

Thank you for the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC of this title.

Twelve-year-old Parker is ready for summer camp. She’s ready to get out of her neighborhood where she is consistently bullied. When she arrives to Camp Care, she soon realizes that her main bully is in her cabin. Soon all her bunkmates who have known each other for years turn on her without even getting to know her. No one wants to be her friend, except Jenny.

Because of the consistent bullying throughout the novel, I felt that it was more of a young adult read than middle school. There is also a lack of support from adults which made me cringe while reading. I just wanted to hug Parker throughout.

Thank you to the Random House Children’s and NetGalley for an eARC of this title.

This is a fast paced thriller with a central theme of severe bullying. The actions of the responsible adults will infuriate readers.

Parker is a loner and has always had trouble making friends. After being betrayed and humiliated during a class project referred to as the ice cream incident, Parker feels even more alone if that’s even possible.
She is bullied and cyberbullied by the girls without consequence. Feeling a bit guilty, her school district offers her an all expenses paid scholarship week to the exclusive Camp Care. This is a compensatory prize to try and ease the adults of their own guilt. Parker knows this but knows even better you can’t fight city hall. So just make the best of it. She is determined for a fresh start, maybe even reinventing herself. This plan is shattered when she finds she is bunking with her school nemesis and the one who knows the "old" Parker. Nothing happens the way Parker had hoped. In fact everything is the direct opposite of her hopes. Once again the adults seem to rally completely against her, oblivious to the bullying right before their eyes.

Oh yes there seem to be good reasons for Parker’s complaints but for the sake of the camp it seems simpler to just get rid Parker who seems to have brought the trouble with her. Her only bright spot in camp is a mysterious friend and loner named Jenny.

Camp Care isn't all that it seems. Something really bad happened in 1988, referred to as Gory Tori. Mention of the incident is taboo and grounds for dismissal. Parker is determined to figure out why people refuse to discuss it. and why the old camp site was deserted and rebuilt on a near that same year. This doesn’t help her case but it adds to the intrigue of the story.

I liked how the author concluded the story even if it was a little unlikely. I wish the camp grownups had consequences for their actions or lack thereof.

I think middle school and YA readers will enjoy reading this creepy tale.
One loose end I might mention…
If Parker’s parents were so tied into their cell phones, why did it take them so long to respond to the camp director Fogerty’s messages about the concerns their daughter? It did give the situation time to resolve before they could get rid of Parker, the seemingly bad seed.

Do you think Parker will go back to Camp Care next summer?
Do you think things will change for Parker in the next school year?
Is Cassandra really a nice girl?

This was just too unenjoyable to read. The main character was miserable the whole book because of the relentless bullying and because of the lack of support from adults, and it just was not a good time! There are better books that also validate the emotions bullying provokes for preteens.