Camp Sylvania - by Julie Murphy

Book Synopsis

From Julie Murphy, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dumplin', comes a hilarious and creepy middle grade summer camp story that takes a bite out of fat camp and diet culture. Perfect for fans of Spooky Stories and Starfish.

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 other suspicious things begin happening--especially after dark. The camp ghost might be the least scary thing about this place. . . .

Review Quotes

Praise for DEAR SWEET PEA: "Murphy creates a wonderfully realistic portrait of tween life in her first middle-grade novel.... Sweet Pea is a treasure of a protagonist." - ALA Booklist (starred review)
"Endearing and funny... An excellent blend of eccentricity, humor, genuine sweetness, and mild drama." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"With gentle humor, ageless wisdom, and charming, genuine characters who represent a diversity of experiences, Murphy's novel offers all the emotional highs and lows of pitch-perfect middle grade." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Murphy succeeds yet again at crafting a touching, quotable coming-of-age story, this time exploring divorce, shifting friendships, crushes, queerness, and much more." - School Library Journal (starred review)
"Full of cringe-worthy but funny seventh grade moments... [there's also] plenty of room for more serious reflection about the people around her in her small Texas town, a cast diverse in ethnicity, sexual orientation, and body size as well as in attitudes." - Horn Book Magazine
"Readers looking for a slightly spooky, fast-paced adventure with fully developed characters will delve into this one." - School Library Journal
"Successfully handles tough topics with humor." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Dear Sweet Pea is a truly irresistible story about a family in flux, brimming with humor and heart." - Rebecca Stead, Newbery Award-winning author of When You Reach M
"Readers of gentle horror will enjoy the eerier elements, and fans of contemporary middle-grade fiction will be delighted by Maggie's realization that she's perfect just the way she is." - ALA Booklist
"Through Maggie's witty first-person narration, Murphy reveals the fat camp's horrors, both benign and supernatural, as Maggie, who experiences performance anxiety, realizes that she and her body are just right the way they are. It's a character-driven summer camp romp that takes on anti-fat bias while underscoring how parents don't always get things right." - Publishers Weekly
"Murphy renders her camp of fat characters with nuance, giving them unique personalities beyond their size and often pointing out how others' judgments ignore their full humanity and undermine their confidence....A fun and spooky celebration of fat kids and friendship." - Kirkus Reviews
"The characters' [are] engaging and memorable.... The central focus is on Maggie's journey to overcome her personal fears, but the diet culture-obsessed vampires also allow for some moments of biting satire." - Horn Book Magazine