6 Books for Kids Nervous About Summer Camp

The Night Before Summer Camp, by Natasha Wing and Mindy Pierce
The rhyming verse of this story will be familiar to readers, although instead of The Night Before Christmas, this book is all about summer camp! Day campers not sure what to expect at camp will be reassured by the events and illustrations on every page as they follow along with camper Rick. The emotions Rick feels—nervousness, reluctance, fear of the unknown—are sensitively explored by the author, and Rick is soon enjoying every minute of summer camp. This is a great pick for young day campers embarking on their first adventure. Ages 4-8.

Froggy Goes to Camp, by Jonathan London and Frank Remkiewicz
If your young camper needs some laughs to quell those newbie nerves, this book might just be the ticket. Beloved fans of Froggy will enjoy following along with their familiar frog friend and all his zany antics. When Froggy goes to camp, mishaps ensue, messy incidents occur, and it all adds up to a great week for Froggy and a fun read for first-time campers. A great pick for younger kids curious about summer camp, too. Ages 4-8.

Wolf Camp, by Katie McKy and Bonnie Leick
Maddie heads off to summer camp and comes home with peculiar wolf-like behaviors—howling, snapping at insects, and chasing animals to name a few. She even walks on all fours! Yes, summer camp was a particularly transformative experience for Maddie, and her family. Kids who dream about being an animal (or of heading to their very own wolf camp!) will love this one. Ages 4-8.

Spy Camp, by Stuart Gibbs
Book two of the Spy School series follows aspiring spy Ben as he heads into summer, which involves even more spy training at a mandatory summer camp session. But Ben soon discovers that his summer is not going to be relaxing in the least, he also has an evil organization after him. You can’t help but cheer Ben on as he outruns evil and fights for good. This page-turner will get your young camper excited to pack their bags and head off on their own wilderness adventure. Ages 8-12.

Sports Camp, by Rich Wallace
Sports fans will love reading about Riley as he heads off to Sports Camp for the summer. As a smaller than average eleven-year-old, Riley is unsure of his abilities or his odds of winning the camp trophy as he competes in different sports at Camp Olympia. He may not excel at all the sports, but he gives it all and does prove to be an excellent swimmer. As he competes in the camp-ending swim across Lake Surprise, he finds himself being followed by a camp tale that seems too real to not be true. Campers will love this realistic story of a truly Olympic summer. Ages 8-12.

The Summer Camp Survival Guide, by Chris Pallatto, Ethan Long, and Ron DeFazio
If your camper is worried about fitting in or anxious about what to expect, this guide is the perfect book to help reassure them. There are what to pack guides, information on how camps are set up, ideas about what to expect in your bunk quarters, and general safety information. Together with fun games, crafts, stories, and songs, this is the essential camp guide for first timers. Your camper may just end up way too busy to mail home the tear-out postcards that are included in the guide. Ages 7-12.