My 5yo could've related to some of the concepts in this one, but she's too emotionally immature for the story. It's nice that they included a character who is attached to a stuffed animal at a later age. It could also be applied to someone with another "childish" behavior, like they're super close to mom, chew on their hair, etc.

The drawing style isn't my favorite personally. Layout and story-wise, though, this could appeal to Dork Diary fans.

I agree some adult intervention would've been nice, or conversation about how to handle certain types of behavior from other kids when our most trusted adults aren't available.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I will purchase for my library.

I received an electronic ARC from Random House Children's Publishers through NetGalley.
Readers meet Bea as she heads for a week of camp. We learn early on that this is not her choice. Her two bunkmates already know each other and both bring their own issues. I appreciate how Montague reveals more about all three characters as the week unfolds. Middle grade readers will connect with the situations each faces at home and may identify with at least one of the characters. They slowly find their way to friendship and standing up for each other when other campers bully any of them. The artwork captures the emotions and action to add to the story. A terrific read as we approach summer months and coping with the gamut of emotions leaving home can inspire.
Montague weaves the deeper message into the humor and lighter parts of her story.

5 stars ⭐️ From My 10 Year Old:

I am ten years old and I love camp frenemies because I think her stuffed animal Roger is really cute and I love how Virgina doesn't really want to make friends but eventually becomes best friends with Bea.

Bea is a 5th grader whose parents are divorcing, and who is taking great comfort in having conversations with her stuffed animals, especially Roger, a rabbit. When her father insists that she go to a sleepaway camp for a week because she needs to socialize, she balks, but when the deal is made that if she can stay a week, she won't have to go back, she reluctantly agrees. Her cabin mates are Roxy and Virginia, and they are upfront with her about how others will perceive her rabbit habit, but Bea is not shy about advocating for herself and telling them to leave her alone. When she takes Roger to the cafeteria, however, many people make fun of her, although there is one boy who is an upstander. Bea decides she is in love with the boy, Owen. Bea's counselor, Flower, is understanding when Bea sits out of activities so that she can spend time on her bunk with the stuffed animals. Virginia is also dealing with some sadness, since she didn't make the soccer team, and many of the girls who did are at the camp, and Roxy's parents are fighting at home, so she doesn't like the tension at camp. There's all kind of drama; Bea's diary is stolen and read aloud, Bea retaliates by not giving Virginia a friendship bracelet, and the girls constantly have tears in their eyes. Will they ever be able to come to an agreement to peacefully coexist?
Strengths: "Friend drama" is definitely a topic that my students like, and this had many levels of it. The inclusion of an imagined romance with a boy who is nice is a great age appropriate inclusion. Not many of my students get to attend summer camps, so it is always an interesting setting for a novel; a good way to have a vicarious experience. I haven't seen many books that address a student who is very attached to a stuffed animal, and I have seen that at school; last year, there was a girl who had a stuffed axolotl, and there was quite a hullabaloo when it went missing.
Weaknesses: I had concerns about Bea's mental health and had hoped she would get some help. There was very little adult intervention in all of the very mean behavior. The illustration style wasn't my favorite (it's slightly reminiscent of Amy Ignatow's The Popularity Papers), but the bright colors will still appeal to the target demographic.
What I really think: Fans of this author's The Equinox Test (School for Unusual Magic #1), or other emotionally fraught graphic novels about camp like Miller's Stuck, Christmas' Gamerville, or Brosgol's Be Prepared, or Smith, Tanner, Michael, and Gomez's Absolute Zeros: Camp Launchpad.
Ms. Yingling

Beatrice, Roxie, and Virginia have conquered sixth grade and now are at summer camp. Beatric makes the mistake of taking her bunny rabbit, Roger, with her and now people are making fun of her. Then, Virginia sees Beatrice’s journal and reads it aloud to others over the campfire. This causes the two to become camp frenemies. Roxie is mad the two aren’t getting along and disappears. Can the three learn to get along as bunk mates? Will they find Roxie?

The plot is simple, realistic, and easy to relate to. The characters are relatable to and authentic. The illustrations are colorful, minimalistic, and work well with the text. Readers who like realistic fiction, graphic novels, and books about friendship will want to pick this one up. Recommended for collection where such books are popular. 4 stars, Gr 4-7.

This is a graphic novel appropriate for younger readers, maybe 2-4th grade? It follows three girls at camp, all of whom are dealing with challenges in different ways.

Camp Frenemies follows Bea, Roxy, and Virginia on a week of sleepaway camp. Roxy and Virginia, who are already friends from soccer, don't immediately click with Bea, especially because Bea would rather talk to her stuffed animals than talk to them. Bea is particularly attached to her bunny, Roger, who goes everywhere with her at camp, making her the object of ridicule from other campers. Roxy and Virginia struggle with being connected to Bea through their shared cabin. To make matters worse, Virginia and Roxy steal Bea's diary and read it aloud to the other campers. Bea retaliates by trying to create a rift between Virginia and Roxy.

Camp Frenemies is a cute middle school story that suffers the same issues as many other "week at camp" books in that a lot happens in a week. Bea doesn't know any of these people outside of camp and her mom swears she'll never have to go back to camp again. So the stakes are very low for her. Yeah, the week will stink, but she's prepared to hate camp anyway. (Also, these books always end with campers canoeing unsupervised! This is why you lock up the canoes!)

This is a book that my students will enjoy, so I will be purchasing it for my library.