I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.
Camp Club Girls: Sydney by Jean Fischer Series: Camp Club Girls #2
Published by BARBOUR PUB Incorporated on May 1, 2019
Genres: Christian, Clean & Wholesome, JUVENILE FICTION, Middle Grade, Mystery
Format: eBook
Source: NetGalley
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GET A CLUE WITH THE CAMP CLUB GIRLS!
Join Sydney and the Camp Club Girls as they embark on a series of clue-filled adventures and crack the case in this entertaining and action-packed 4-in-1 mystery collection.Is danger lurking in the nation's capital? The Camp Club Girls are determined to discover what's behind the secret messages left at the Vietnam Memorial. Will the girls unravel the confusing clues at the twilight’s gleaming and deflect any danger before the dawn’s early light?
Is a strange creature lurking in the ocean depths? Sydney and Bailey get more than they bargained for on a visit to North Carolina, where they encounter baffling events on the beaches of the Outer Banks. Will the Camp Club Girls discover who—or what—is leaving the peculiar tracks in the sand?
Is there a wild animal on the loose? Or something even more menacing? While Sydney and Alexis are getting back to nature at a lake in northern Wisconsin, mysterious occurrences catch the super sleuths’ attention. Will the Camp Club Girls solve this mystery before their time in the forest is up?
Who's the mysterious woman living in the woods? When Sydney and Elizabeth embark on an adventure in North Carolina, they meet Galilahi, a young girl searching for clues to her Cherokee Indian heritage. Will the Camp Club Girls unveil the necessary clues and help Galilahi find the answers that she so desperately seeks?
Join the Camp Club Girls on a series of clue-filled adventures and cheer them on as they crack the case in this entertaining 4-in-1 story collection. Whether the Camp Club Girls are unraveling confusing clues that leads them through Washington, DC, and up to Fort McHenry, investigating peculiar tracks in sand of the Outer Banks, uncovering the source of menacing sounds in the Wisconsin woods, or helping a young girl search for clues to her Cherokee heritage in North Carolina, you'll encounter six charming, relatable characters who combine their mystery-solving skills to save the day.
Picking up where I left off with Elizabeth, Sydney highlights issues I had with the previous book but didn’t bring up. And brought a new set of issues. I won’t rehash Elizabeth because we’ll that’s a done deal but here we go! I just want to talk about Sydney for a moment. While Elizabeth comes across as very proper and in some ways mature beyond her years, Sydney is a bundle of personality and energy. She feels more developed as a character and very relatable to her age.
Much about what I’m going to say is coming from the fact that I’m seriously not the target audience but comes also from a place of concern about expectations for the target audience reader. The amount of time these girls spend running around major cities (Washington DC, Outer Banks, etc) and major tourist attractions with little to no adult supervision or intervention concerns me. Kate taking the train to DC on her own? I never want that to set a precedent for the kiddos that that is something that would ever be OK for them to do until they were older. Just as unsettling was in the last story where another family happened to overhear a conversation while out for breakfast and the next thing you know the girls have a new friend and Aunt Dee is letting them take off with the dad (and hang at their house) the very next day. Like are we vetting these people before our kids are, again, running around with now strangers with little to no supervision or adult over-site. While it does make the story fun and engaging it also sets my ancient heart to sketchy mode.
While the first story was completely unbelievable and the second and third had way too many exclamations of UFOs the fourth gives me pause. While I had the aforementioned issue about letting young ladies hang out with strangers I think I resonated to the story more. It had more depth than any of the others to this point in the series. This story alone brought the rating back up to where I have it. I think all the stories had some fun mystery, a lot of middle grade appreciated chaos, and a bit of action. I think it would resonate with the target audience but there are things I think I would need to address before I’d let it be read. You are not going out to do all these things without my knowledge and with no adult oversight until you are much older. Boom!
About Jean Fischer
Jean Fischer (www.jeanfischer.com) is a professional writer with a solid background in publishing. As a freelance writer, she has co-written books with Christian authors/teachers John MacArthur, John C. Maxwell, Sarah Young, Sheila Walsh, and others. Jean writes text for adult and children’s devotionals, fiction and nonfiction, and children’s picture and chapter books. She also creates promotional material for a leading fast-food restaurant and is a contributing writer for K-6 Language Arts textbooks. Recent work-for-hire projects include: “The Jesus Calling Bible Storybook” by Sarah Young (Jean Fischer, compilation editor), Thomas Nelson; and “God’s Little Angel Shine Your Light” by Sheila Walsh (Jean Fischer, co-author), Thomas Nelson.
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