Camp Average

Starred review from March 15, 2019
A new administrator's efforts to remake an easygoing boys' sports camp into an athletic powerhouse meet spirited resistance.Loosely branded as a sports camp, Camp Avalon (aka Camp Average), unlike its better-funded competitors, doesn't specialize in one sport. While directors annually remind campers about its sole baseball tournament win (1951), many activities aren't competitive or even sports--until director Winston takes charge, canceling traditional events and activities and banning hot dogs and sugary cereals. After exhaustive athletic-aptitude testing, each camper is assigned a sport, which they'll spend all day, every day, playing. Eleven-year-old Mack Jones, white, and Andre Jennings, a dark-skinned, talented pitcher, both land baseball, as does Nelson Ramos, YouTube celebrity toy-and-game reviewer, a baseball newbie with awesome hand-eye coordination. Winning trumps all: Poor test results consign brainy, well-liked Miles to keeping score and maintaining statistics. Led by Mack, who misses water-skiing, the kids rebel, spectacularly losing games against other camps. As Winston doubles down, adding "boot camp" practice, war escalates. The athletes grow dispirited--losing intentionally is still losing--but then Miles makes a discovery. Mack and friends are endearing, authentic tweens, their bond transcending sports. Camp, campers, and counselors (default white, with names conveying cultural diversity for the most part) are portrayed with unsentimental affection. Sports journalist Battle, past editor of Canadian children's magazine Owl, brings a sharp, satirical eye to trends benign and otherwise in children's sports.Hilarious, irreverent, and timely, highly recommended for sports fans, summer-camp alums, and preteen-years survivors. (Fiction. 8-13)

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April 1, 2020
Grades 4-7 Winston is back for the second year as the director of Camp Avalon, the place boys lovingly dubbed Camp Average because of its noncompetitive nature. Things are different this summer, though, as girls are now allowed to attend. What hasn't changed is Winston's drive to inject some competitive spirit (and athletic passion) into the campers, this time by organizing a girls-versus-boys basketball game. What could go wrong? Mack and his friends tried their best to get Winston to quit last year, to no avail. But Mack has some new tricks up his sleeve this year. Will he succeed? This sequel to Camp Average (2019) features a large cast that mixes well-rounded and stock characters-some familiar, some not. Readers who enjoyed the first book will delight in returning to the boys' antics, but those new to the series are advised to start with book one. A few surprising plot twists in this humorous, character-driven summer read show cooperation is always best.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

February 1, 2020
A year after Camp Average's surprise baseball-tournament win, Mack--outraged at hypercompetitive camp director Winston's wily manipulations--leads another rebellion; the battlefield this time is basketball. To boost competitive sports, the camp's now coed, drawing talented athletes in search of opportunities unavailable at local girls' camps. Frustrated that his makeover hasn't netted significant wins, Winston announces he's entered the camp in a prestigious basketball tournament, and the boys' and girls' teams will play each other to determine which enters the tournament. Mack likes basketball but resists joining the team until his preferred activities are mysteriously banned. Given proof of foul play (and responding to a request), Mack decides to sabotage Winston's efforts, recruiting helpers to undermine both basketball teams' series performances. Planting a rumor that a college scout is watching proves wildly successful: Players abandon teamwork to focus on showcasing their individual prowess. Performance suffers, both teams are dispirited, and after Mack's role is revealed, he's shunned. It's bad when Mack's plans don't work, Miles tells him, but "somehow even worse" when they do. Watching the events unfurl in this sequel is rewarding and entertaining. While Winston's villainy can seem cartoonish, the girls--like the boys--are amiably convincing. Names and descriptions for both imply racial and cultural diversity; Mack seems to be default white. Intergender relations among these middle schoolers are strictly platonic. A final twist forecasts further adventures. A funny, satisfying exploration of the thematically rich territory between winning and losing. (Fiction. 8-13)

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