Sleepaway Girls by Jen Calonita

From the Publisher

When Sam's best friend gets her first boyfriend, she's not ready to spend the summer listening to the two of them call each other "pookie." Sick of being a third wheel, Sam applies to be a counselor-in-training at Whispering Pines camp in the New York Catskills. But what she doesn't realize is that it's not going to be all Kumbaya sing-alongs and gooey s'mores. If Ashley, the alpha queen of Whispering Pines, doesn't ruin Sam's summer, then her raging crush on the surfer-blond and flirtatious Hunter just might. At least she has playful Cole, who's always teasing her, but is oh-so-comfortable to hang out with, and the singular gang of girls that become fast friends with Sam-they call themselves the Sleepaway Girls.

Publishers Weekly

This novel set at a summer camp offers much of what one might expect: crushes on older counselors, cabin-mate rivalries, late-night sneak-outs and lots of bonding between campers. Counselor-in-training Sam is at a disadvantage when she first arrives at Whispering Pines in the Catskills. Unlike the other CITs, she is unfamiliar with her surroundings, having never attended a camp. Despite her rookie status, she proves to be a natural leader, but her pride in doing her job well is undermined by catty remarks from fellow CIT Ashley. Fortunately, Sam is able to form friendships with other girls, who soothe her sagging spirit and help her sort out her feelings for two boys, Hunter ("Mr. Ab-solutely perfect") and easy-to-be-with Cole. While Calonita (the Secrets of My Hollywood Life series) is well versed in camp routines and dynamics, some of the escapades-like a gigantic food fight Sam has with her rival-come off as a little cheesy, and some minor characters-especially Ashley and Hunter-appear manufactured. Nonetheless, Sam emerges as a likable, realistically flawed heroine, who proves that good girls can come out on top. Ages 12-up. (May)

Children's Literature

Sara Montgomery, sixteen, is a Counselor-in-Training (CIT) at a summer-long sleepaway camp called Whispering Pines in the Catskills. Of course, she has never been to camp before and everyone else in her bunk is a long time summer camper who has graduated to CIT status. The bunk is filled with the requisite number of friendly girls, snobby girls, and one apparently evil spoiled brat who is used to being the Queen Bee because she is the daughter of the owner of the camp and also ravishingly beautiful. Sara's divorced mother is dating the camp owner, fueling more dueling between these obvious antagonists, not to mention the complication of the handsome male CIT who the evil girl dumped the year before but now wants back. He, however, finds himself more attracted to Sara, who in romance novel fashion, is not that experienced with boys. What sets this book apart is the detailed and wholesome fun of camp activities, which Sara and everyone else throw themselves into with wholehearted enthusiasm. The characters are well drawn and the dialogue witty. This is a good summer (or winter) "escape" for girls who have and have not experienced the mixed joys of summer camp. Reviewer: Myrna Dee Marler

School Library Journal

Gr 6-8

Samantha Montgomery is sick of her best friend's boyfriend taking her place. Mal used to call Sam first, sit by her at lunch, and do everything with her. Now it's Mark who's first in Mal's life, it looks like Sam will have to sit through an entire summer of their sickening sweet talk. Instead, she decides to volunteer as a counselor-in-training at a camp two hours away from home. There she finds three new friends, two hot guys, and one bitter enemy. Sleepaway Girls is a fast, uncomplicated read dealing lightly with issues of friendship, first love, and bullying. Though the resolutions seem a tad easy, they're appropriate for the tone of the novel. Sam and her campmates are believable characters and their bonding will make readers want to head for camp themselves. A perfect summer pick.-Heather E. Miller, Homewood Public Library, AL

Kirkus Reviews

Calonita's bland, first-person summer-camp extravaganza about a group of feisty, competitive 15-year-old counselors-in-training plays on some well-worn character stereotypes. New CIT Sam has to make a place for herself within the hierarchy of coed Whispering Pines. Unfortunately her notoriety for having been featured, somewhat accidentally, on a commercial for Dial and Dash Phone and her instant attraction of the cutest male counselor, Hunter, ignite the ire of the most popular girl-who happens to be the camp director's daughter. Ashley (who "looked like she belonged on America's Next Top Model") and Hunter ("an Abercrombie ad come to life") each make Sam's life hell from one forced camp activity to the next. As the jealous leader of their bunkhouse, Ashley delights in tripping Sam up, while fickle Hunter plays with her feelings. Luckily Sam has the support of new friends (the Sleepaway Girls of the title) and the admiration of a Jonas Brother lookalike, Cole, who seems to be real boyfriend material. Besides herding the "peeps, pez, and marshmallows" (younger campers) and staging a walloping food fight, Sam's name-branded camp memories are mostly forgettable. (Fiction. 12 & up)

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