Relive Your Summer Camp Glory Days with These 5 YAs

Slept Away, by Julie Kraut
Roughing it in the woods for three months could not be more different from the city summer of tanning and parties Laney had planned—but unfortunately for Laney, her mother has other ideas. Even more unfortunately, her New York City cool doesn’t translate well to summer camp, and with no Diet Coke to calm her down, Laney just might go mad before summer’s end. Perfect for the awkward teen in you, this book will remind you of all the best parts of teenaged summers…and make you super glad you never have to be 15 again.

The Summer I Wasn’t Me by Jessica Verdi
When Lexi’s mom discovers her biggest secret, Lexi is packed up and shipped off to New Horizons for the summer, where she will (theoretically) learn to like boys instead of girls. But Lexi has a hard time going along with some of the camp’s more questionable practices, and it turns out changing is not quite as easy as her counselors make it sound. At times hilarious but mostly incredibly frustrating, this book will make you fall in love with its characters hardcore. For a more serious summer camp read, The Summer I Wasn’t Me takes on what it’s like to learn to accept yourself even when no one else does.

Holes, by Louis Sachar
So maybe Camp Greenlake doesn’t count as a summer camp, but it’s still a camp. When Stanley is mistakenly sent to correctional camp, he realizes pretty quickly he’s only going to learn one thing: how to dig a hole. (A five-foot-by-five-foot hole, to be exact). But maybe there’s more to these holes than meets the eye, just like there’s far more to Stanley’s friend Zero (and the rest of the camp crew) than anyone gives them credit for. Warning: reading this book will definitely make you wonder what sort of illegal hijinks your old camp counselor might have been up to.

Dramarama, by E. Lockhart
There’s just no camp like drama camp, amirite? Sadye (aka Sarah) and Demi are aching to escape their small town, so they audition for and get accepted to drama camp. But just because you crave the spotlight doesn’t mean you’ll get it. Talented Demi slips right into the summer productions, but for Sadye, trying her best might not be enough—especially if she keeps up the attitude with her directors. Lockhart, as ever, is a genius, and you’ll definitely be wanting to see a show by the time you’re done with this one.

The Lost Summer, by Kathryn Williams
Helena is headed back to her old camp for the summer, but this time she’s a counselor instead of a camper. Her best friend, Katie, remains stuck in camper mode, and Helena is already worried about how the differences between their camp experiences might affect their friendship. But it’s hard to turn down the chance to go skinny dipping or sneak out to the nearby boys’ camp, especially when it means flirting with her longtime crush, Ransome. Because you know you always wondered what it was like to be a counselor (how were they so old and cool?), you have to check out The Lost Summer.
Are you ready to go back to camp yet?