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S'more Young Adult Camp Books
Like making s’mores and a day at the beach, going to camp is one of those quintessential summer experiences that – if everything is just right – can change your life forever. Take it from these fictional teens who find their camp experiences transformative. Whether you’re headed for the woods in a traditional camp or spending your summer at a court-side sports camp, bring along one of these books to help reflect on your own adventure.
Long Story Short by Serena Kaylor
Socially awkward Beatrice may not know a lot about friendships, but she does know math. A total whiz with numbers, Beatrice isn’t thrilled when her parents send her off an astonishing 2,987 miles away to the Connecticut Shakespearean Summer Academy. Plus, there’s a list: For this summer to be a success, Beatrice has to check off typical teenage activities and show her parents that she can be “normal” – whatever that means. Soon, Beatrice finds herself entangled in camp life and culture, including some shenanigans she never could have calculated for. Also available as an ebook.
The Counselors by Jennifer Goodman
If anyone knows Camp Alpine Lake, it’s Goldie. Even if, by class circumstances, she doesn’t really belong there. This year, she can’t wait to return as a counselor and find more bonding time with her best friends, Ava and Imogen. But that bonding has a price: Goldie has a secret she’s dying to share. All might be well except then a body turns up in the lake and it seems Goldie isn’t the only one with a secret. What did Ava see and why hasn’t she told Goldie? Also available as an ebook and an eaudiobook.
Camp by L. C. Rosen
Randy loves camp and all the people in it, but perhaps none more so than Hudson. Too bad Hudson only goes for the guys who act straight and Randy is as camp as it gets. This summer, Randy is determined to make Hudson his, even if it means changing everything about himself. When he arrives as the macho “Del,” Randy finds himself in a relationship with Hudson – but is it built on real feelings if Randy isn’t being real himself? Also available as an ebook.
Slip by Marika McCoola and Aatmaja Pandya
Shaken by her best friend’s recent suicide attempt, Jade isn’t so sure she’s up for the summer art camp she’s been anticipating now. After all, how can she possibly focus on herself and her art when Phoebe is hurting? Well – if she won’t focus on her art, it will make her! If settling into Art Farm and falling for the adorable Mary isn’t enough, the ceramic creatures Jade creates are somehow coming alive in the kiln and demanding she face her fears. Now, Jade must ask herself one of the hardest questions of all: is investing in herself an abandonment of Phoebe?
Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert
Celine may be a little weird. But she’s not alone: she does run a popular conspiracy theory TikTok account, after all. And Bradley may be a little uptight. But he’s got OCD. Put the two together and, after a broken friendship, these frenemies are on a crash course to disaster. And what’s worse? They kind of have to work together if they’re going to successfully win the scholarships at stake in the survival course they signed up for. And who knows, they just might get a more out of the summer camp-like experience than cash. Also available as an ebook and eaudiobook.
Proof of Forever by Lexa Hillyer
Joy, Tali, Luce, and Zoe have had the perfect summer. You’d think a summer like theirs would lead to an everlasting bond, but it only takes two years after their last summer at Camp Okahatchee for their bond to break. Now seventeen, the girls find themselves magically transported back to that summer by the flash of a photo booth camera. Now they have a second shot at their unforgettable summer – an opportunity to really solidify their friendship for forever. But will new discoveries threaten to tear them apart again?
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About the Author
Abby is a New-Hampshire-grown Assistant Branch Manager at Southwest Neighborhood Library. In addition to writing book lists for DC Public Library, she's written for Book Riot, School Library Journal, Library Journal, Booklist, and other professional library and bookish publications. She reads broadly, but often enjoys literary young adult fiction, contemporary young adult fiction, and young adult fantasy. She lives in Virginia with her husband and her cat, Oopsilon.