Maggie is excited to spend her summer at Camp Rising Star with her best friend. Things are going great until her parents reveal that they’re sending her to a fat camp called Camp Sylvania the night before she’s supposed to leave for a fun summer with her best friend. Maggie’s summer plans just blew straight out the window, and it’s about to get worse now that fat camp is worse than she expected when fellow campers start going missing.

When I saw this book, I knew I had to read it. We follow Maggie as her parents are shipping her off to the fat camp her mother once attended now that it’s under new ownership. Of course, Maggie is furious about it, and I don’t blame her one bit. Poor Maggie has been made to feel that she’s not good enough due to her weight, and now this insecurity is thrown in her face as she’s blindsided by the news that she’s not going to theater camp with her best friend.

One of the things I like about this book is that it has a lot of positive messages. We watch Maggie make new friends and start to learn to embrace her weight and appearance. At the same time, we see the camp’s new owner’s own self-hatred and fears come to life through the camp that she now owns and runs. We get to see a combination of characters who are either fat and learning to accept themselves, characters who encourage the kids at the camp to enjoy who they are, and then characters who either hate themselves or are just outright prejudiced toward plus size folks. With a supernatural twist, we’ve got a fun book for middle schoolers with some great messages that teaches one to like and accept themselves.

I will say that the supernatural twist takes a while to get rolling, but the foreshadowing is wonderful and it’ll be fun for middle schoolers to put two and two together as they read. It’s an excellent read and I’m excited to check out more books from the author, especially since it appears that they mainly write stories that follow overweight characters.

YES YES YES! A million times YES! This book was so cute. And wonderful and charming and everything kids don't know they need. Everyone of every age needs to read this, right away.

Camp Sylvania is the perfect middle grade story for fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Friday the 13th. With creepy elements, camp vampires and ghosts, and a female power-trio, this was an overall enjoyable read!

I loved this and I think you will too! This book was just so much fun. All of the main character were so relatable especially as I grew up as a fat kid myself. This book takes on some of the serious issues with fat camp but in a fun and adventurous way. This is definitely a book I can't wait to get a physical copy of and recommend to all my friends.

Another hit by Julie Murphy. This one is more for younger readers, but I think that anyone would enjoy it especially if you are a fan of her other books which I am. This one is a little Dear Sweet Pea and so much fun. The characters are great and a lot of fun, and the story moves along really well. There are a few twists and turns, but nothing really surprising in the end. I won't spoil anything here.

I appreciate that Murphy writes body positive books without really making it about that, and maybe that's why I love her characters so much. Because while they are secure about themselves, their story isn't about that. There is a real story and plot and the fact that the characters are overweight or LGBTQ2S+ is just part of the story and not the main reason for writing the story. Yes, the camp is a "fat" camp but you don't really focus on that for any of the story. And it's so nice to have characters who just are who they are without apologizing.

If you like Murphy, then I'm sure you'll enjoy this one. If you are looking for a story with great characters, a bit of mystery and a bunch of adventure for a middle schooler, this will also fit the bill.

I can’t wait to add this book to my classroom library for my students to read!

I think was really works with this novel is that it’s not written in a “juvenile” way. Yes, this is a middle grade book, but it isn’t written in a way that feels “dumbed down” for kids. I often find myself rolling my eyes and some ways that middle grade stories are worded and that’s not the case with this novel.

I have read basically every Julie Murphy book and enjoyed all of them. This one was no exception. I characters feel so lifelike and I love the body positivity that she includes. It’s a great way to open up conversations about body positivity…while also talking about vampires and ghosts.

I’m a sucker (pun intended) for summer camp books, and I think this would be a great one to read while camping on the lake. I also love that this story takes place on Lake of the Ozarks, since I don’t live too far off. Might need to plan a trip there once the book is released. Hoping and praying for a sequel!

Camp Sylvania had me at vampires and summer camp! Maggie is looking forward to an amazing summer with her bestie at a performing arts camp. Sure, her stage fright is terrifying but hanging in the chorus, surrounded by other theater kids will be amazing. Unfortunately for Maggie her parents make a last minute switch, and enroll her in fat camp for the summer. Weird diets, excessive running, mandatory blood donations and limits on water time are the worst. But the musical is pretty great and her camp friends are awesome...until kids start to disappear that is. I really enjoyed Camp Sylvania! I thought the book could benefit from going a little deeper on some of the more emotional aspects. Issues like self confidence, and the parental betrayal are touched on, but I would have liked it to go a little deeper. This would have made the ending pop just that little bit more. Overall a great read!

Loved the book, love Julie, love fat rep in children’s books.

Do not love HarperCollins not negotiating with the HCPUnion. I will be withholding all public thoughts until negotiations are made and the strike is over.

A huge fan of summer camp, I'm all about fun reads that are set at camp! As an added bonus, one of the characters is a Girl Scout with fantastic outdoor skills that come in handy more than once.

Our main character, Maggie, is more than ready for summer. She and her best friend have plans that includes three fabulous weeks at theater camp. To Maggie's horror, her parents inform her that there has been a change of plans and she's not actually going to theater camp - instead she's going to fat camp. (But the F-word is banned, so don't get caught saying it!) Maggie's mom went to the same camp years ago and now is sure that this rebooted version, run by one of her old camp friends, will be the perfect place for Maggie to lose her baby fat.

Sure enough, camp has a really weird diet and lots of physical activity. But there's also new friends, a chance to star in the musical, and maybe even some time to swim in the lake. Maggie thinks this might not be too bad but it's weird things start to happen. Kids start to go missing, there are weird staff, and everyone has to give blood... Also, vampires and ghosts are real.

This book was a fun romp of all the best parts of summer camp with a supernatural twist - and Maggie and her friends are ready to do what it takes to save the summer (and their lives).

This book was a lot of fun and perfect for middle grade readers who want a slightly spooky adventure that isn’t scary. The characters are drawn very well and the plot is fast paced. Recommended.

Thank you Harper Collins and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this children’s book!

Magnolia “Maggie” Hagen is determined to be in the spotlight...if she can just get over her stage fright. This summer, though, she has big plans to finally attend Camp Rising Star, the famous performing arts camp she’s been dying to go to for three whole summers.

But on the last day of school, her parents break the news: Maggie isn’t going to Camp Rising Star. She’s being shipped off to fat camp—and not just any fat camp. She’s going to Camp Sylvania, run by world-famous wellness influencer Sylvia Sylvania, who is known for her soon-to-be patented Scarlet Diet.

When Maggie arrives at camp, things are...weird. There are the humiliating weigh-ins and grueling workouts, as expected. But the campers are also encouraged to donate blood—at their age! The cafeteria serves only red foods and the oddly specific rules change every day. There are even rumors of a camp ghost.

Despite these horrors, Maggie makes friends and starts to actually enjoy herself. There are even tryouts for a camp production of The Music Man! This place might not be so bad…until campers start going missing and suspicious things begin happening—especially after dark.

The camp ghost might be the least scary thing about this place….

As a plus size gal and big fan of Julie Murphy, I was so stoked to see this book! I really enjoyed this story, and I’m excited to read it with my 7 year old. We’re big fans of children’s books with ghost stories. I appreciate the author bringing awareness to fat people and fat stereotypes.

Such a cute read! definitely reminded me of the Disney movie Heavyweights! what an interesting take on it. Highly reccomend this read!