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Camp Shady Crook

Lee Gjertsen Malone (Goodreads Author)

3.66 · Rating details · 71 ratings · 27 reviews

It’s Ocean’s Eleven set in a summer camp as two kids try to one-up each other in a con competition at a camp that isn’t quite what it seems…

For Archie, the start of summer means another stint at Camp Shady Brook, where there is a lot more to the camp than meets the eye—just like Archie and his now blended family. But thanks to a con Archie developed last year, he’s finally ...more

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Hardcover, 288 pages

Published May 21st 2019 by Aladdin

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Average rating 3.66 ·

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· 71 ratings · 27 reviews

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Apr 12, 2019 Lana rated it it was amazing

Shelves: middle-grade

Camp Shady Crook is a very shady, and adventurous camp story, set in a run down dump for a camp! Archie and Vivian compete for the rights to hustle the other campers. According to Archie, the number one tip for pulling off a con... know your mark.
They both get in over their head in a hustle that’s bigger than they intended. Eventually the two team up together to fix a lot of wrongs in the camp and agree to put their cons behind them.
First of all, I love camp stories, but this story was so uniq ...more

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Jan 18, 2020 Betsie Bush rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobook, children-ya, con-artists, fiction, humor

Entertaining. I liked how there was no romance implied between any of the characters. Kids sometimes really are just friends with each other. Some of the shenanigans were unrealistic, but the characters grew and that's what is important to me.

I think there was one character name inconsistency. The camp nurse was referred to as Jack and Nick at different points in the story, but it isn't a deal-breaker. ...more

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Mar 19, 2019 Lois Sepahban rated it it was amazing

I was lucky to read an ARC of Camp Shady Crook by Lee Gjertsen Malone.

I really loved this book--summer camp, an epic rivalry, appealing characters. It hit all the right notes for me.

I can't wait to order a copy for my middle school classroom library. ...more

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May 22, 2019 Resch Reads rated it it was ok

*Book Received in Exchange for Honest Opinion/Review*

I am kind of ashamed to admit how long it took me to read this book but alas I started it 10 days ago! I just finished this afternoon and let me just start off by saying the first two-thirds of the book is slow. I can't quite put my finger on it but the pacing of the story is off. I felt like the synopsis set me up for a summer of prank wars and cons but that didn't exactly resonate in the story.

We are given a lot of details, the world buildi ...more

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Feb 25, 2019 Jenn Bishop rated it it was amazing

Nothing like spending a cold winter day escaping into a summer read. CAMP SHADY CROOK reminds me of the best of Louis Sachar: crisp, memorable characters, witty writing, and a distinctive setting. Camp Shady Crook is the best and worst of every camp I attended as a kid, but more than that, it's larger than life, and so are the two kids at its center: Archie the grifter and Vivian his competitor. In short chapters alternating between the two tweens, we see the stakes rise as they battle it out fo ...more

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Mar 17, 2019 Ms. Yingling rated it liked it

E ARC from Edelweiss Plus

Archie is glad to be returning to Camp Shady Brook on a scholarship, because it is six weeks that he doesn't have to deal with his stepmother and twin half siblings, and time when he can manage to fleece the wealthy camp goers, since his name is the same as one of the richest men in the area. Vivian is not happy to be going to camp, since this is the first time she has not accompanied her travel agent parents on their summer tours, but an unfortunate incident at school c E ARC from Edelweiss Plus

Archie is glad to be returning to Camp Shady Brook on a scholarship, because it is six weeks that he doesn't have to deal with his stepmother and twin half siblings, and time when he can manage to fleece the wealthy camp goers, since his name is the same as one of the richest men in the area. Vivian is not happy to be going to camp, since this is the first time she has not accompanied her travel agent parents on their summer tours, but an unfortunate incident at school caused them to send her somewhere more "constructive". Vivian thinks that she can con her campmates as well, and when Archie sees her doing this, he worries that it will cut into his territory, and tries to scare her off. It seems to work, and he continues his previous tricks, complete with the help of Oliver, a counselor-in-training who pretends to menace Archie but is actually his ally. When Vivian catches the two conspiring, she wants in, and they grudgingly let her run cons with them. Eventually, the two work up to a competition-- Vivian must con her cabin mate, Sasha, and Archie must con an unconnable kid. Both of their cons cause trouble that may negatively impact the camp, so they try the ultimate con-- to put Camp Shady Brook back into the leagues of respectable summer placements for children.

Strengths: I liked Archie right away, and his backstory was convincing. Vivian was less endearing, with her black leather boots at summer camp and an attitude to match, but she was a nice foil for Archie's preppy camouflage. The counselors were present and just goofy enough, and there was the requisite amount of standard activities, including friendship bracelets, the modern equivalent of lanyards.
Weaknesses: Miss Hess was an over the top villain, the camp seemed luxurious compared to ones I attended and yet was deemed horribly decrepit, and this got rather mean in the middle, before Archie and Vivian decide to mend their ways.
What I really think: There are so many camp books out right now that I am going to have to assess which ones will best fit my needs. My students do like books with cons, such as Rylander's The Fourth Stall and Schreiber's Con Academy, so this is a possibility. ...more

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May 05, 2019 Nannette Demmler rated it really liked it

ARC provided by Simon and Schuster via NetGalley for an honest review.

This was a pretty fun read. I enjoyed the characters and the plot, although the end was a little over the top.

Archie was such a solid character. At home he has issues with his family, at school, typical kid stuff. But when he gets to camp he puts on this new persona, but he is still Archie underneath. His cons are pretty simple and the ones we see do work, but he does have some strict rules about who he cons, not the poor sc ARC provided by Simon and Schuster via NetGalley for an honest review.

This was a pretty fun read. I enjoyed the characters and the plot, although the end was a little over the top.

Archie was such a solid character. At home he has issues with his family, at school, typical kid stuff. But when he gets to camp he puts on this new persona, but he is still Archie underneath. His cons are pretty simple and the ones we see do work, but he does have some strict rules about who he cons, not the poor scholarship kids and not the little kids, which I really liked about him. He also feels guilt when one of the kids he cons was maybe not as well off as he thought. His attitude towards Vivian was also very believable, and as their relationship develops you can tell that they will become very good friends.

Vivian was a bit harder to like. She is a bit snobbish and stand-offish to everyone. As we come to know her, you understand why, but I wish she had been a bit kinder to the other kids. Her budding friendship with Sasha, was wonderful to watch play out. Sasha is also going to end up being a solid great friend for Vivian.

I loved both Sasha and Oliver. Sasha was just so enthusiastic about camp, even when it really sucked. And Oliver was the perfect right hand man to Archie, what Archie eventually realizes is a good friend too. Oliver is often the voice of reason for some of Archie’s crazier schemes.

The plot was a little bit draggy at times, but the cons were great. Some of Archie’s advice to Vivian was also very standard heist stuff that you see all of the time in movies and tv, but that is ok. Archie admits to learning most of what he knows by researching on the internet. Ms. Hess, the camp director, was a believable villain. We don’t see a whole lot of her in the story, but the stories of her make up for that, as do the times she does show up to make the campers lives miserable. Archie and Vivian’s final con to get Ms. Hess to make things right is very well thought out and executed. The ending is maybe a bit rushed and abrupt, but still well done.

Overall an excellent middle grade book that would be great for a summer beach read, or better yet, while you are at camp!

https://elnadesbookchat.com ...more

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Mar 21, 2019 Janet rated it it was amazing

I was lucky enough to snag an ARC of this book!

In this super fun camp story, Archie Drake spends 6 weeks of every summer at Camp Shady Brook. It's an overstrict, run-down, poor excuse for a camp (not-so-fondly called Camp Shady Crook), but Archie has discovered the good side, too. Not only can he escape his unpopular, invisible self from back home, but he has discovered a talent for conning kids (only the rich ones) out of some of their spending cash. And it doesn't hurt that he happens to share ...more

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May 12, 2019 Valerie McEnroe rated it really liked it

Shelves: summer-vacation, middle-grade, crime, competition, camp

ARC from Netgalley

Adult rating: 4 stars
Kid rating: 5 stars

Who wouldn't jump at the chance to re-invent himself? To be the person everyone admires? Archie and Vivian plan to do just that at Camp Shady Brook. Archie is a seasoned veteran, returning for his third summer. He uses the fact that he shares a name with a famous, unrelated billionaire to his advantage. Vivian is new at camp and dreading every minute of it. She's not good at making friends, but she shares something in common with Archie. ...more

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Mar 31, 2019 Robin Yardi rated it it was amazing

The set-up of this book is one of delicious wickedness: practiced kid conman, Archie Drake, and budding trickster, Vivian Cheng, come head to head at Camp Shady Brook. The are they accomplices, archenemies, or friends is a fun narrative dynamic told in alternating POV chapters that keep the story moving. Just like the character Archie Drake likes to read about famous cons and heists, I think kid readers will eat up Archie and Vivian’s escapades swindling fellow campers out of their summer spendi ...more

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Apr 06, 2020 Kristel rated it liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 01, 2020 Erin rated it liked it

I'm halfway finished, but I don't think I'm going to press on. I'm just not engaged with the characters. The writing is fine. The premise is unique and was intriguing, but I just can't get into it. I keep thinking up others things to do rather than read it, and I think it's because I just don't care about the characters at all. I get that the author has to give them an arc, but if the starting point for these characters is that they're conning other kids because they're bored and angry about stu ...more

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May 22, 2019 Cynthia Reeg rated it it was amazing

Troubled middle school students, Archie and Vivian, meet at Camp Shady Brook and soon discover a shared love of conning other campers. Archie tries to teach Vivian his techniques mainly in an effort to keep her under control, even as she pulls a con on him. The cons keep coming as the notoriously nasty camp grows ever more mildewed and overgrown and the campers grow ever more discontented. But when a con goes dramatically wrong, Archie and Vivian, finally see the error of their ways and attempt ...more

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May 09, 2019 Jaymie rated it really liked it

[I received an electronic review copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

A fun heist/con story set at a rundown summer camp. I love heist/con stories when there's a compelling reason for the con. At the start, Archie and Vivian don't really have a reason other than "Because we can." It makes it hard to like them early on in the story. But when their feud blows up in their faces, they discover they are better together. The ending made me want to stand up and ...more

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Dec 15, 2019 Apisan rated it really liked it

Kids from all over the United States each year to go to Camp Sandy Crook for a week to experience the Great outdoors instead of being manipulated by screens infront of you . This year Archie Drake seems to be the big boss over there controlling everyone . He acts as if he is a millionaire . Can Archie Drake keep this act up or will he fall ?

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Apr 10, 2019 Mandy rated it really liked it

What a great book for Middle Grade Readers! Camp Shady Crook is a fun, adventurous story of 2 kids' experience at camp and their budding friendship. I love that this book has main characters of both genders, that their friendship crosses those sometimes rigid gender lines. I look forward to recommending this book to young readers!

...more

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Apr 08, 2019 Molly French rated it really liked it

Camp Shady Crook is a fun read for middle aged readers. It is adventurous, funny and clever, and it makes you feel like you are living inside of its pages. Highly recommend this to readers looking for an funny book with a creative plot.

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Aug 19, 2019 Lizzy rated it liked it

Shelves: kids-books, realistic-fiction, summer-reading-2020-ideas

3.5 A fun read with boy/girl POV about 2 rival campers at a summer camp conning other kids out of their spending $. It’s a got a real Camp Nowhere vibe and perfect for fans of Under Locker and Key by Allison Hymas and Fourth Stall by Chris Rylander

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May 26, 2019 Sarah rated it it was amazing

EARC from Edelweiss Plus
This summer camp story had me hooked! It is a good suggestion for students who enjoyed the Terrible Two series.

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Jan 15, 2021 Ms.Linck rated it it was amazing

I think fans of Stuart Gibbs or Ponti's TOAST series would LOVE this one. Really funny, with some great "cons." Love the dynamic between the two main characters. ...more

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Oct 20, 2020 PWRL marked it as to-read

Shelves: 2020-new

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Aug 01, 2020 Caitlin rated it really liked it

An enjoyable read about friendship and being true to yourself.

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Dec 03, 2019 Jennifer rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2021-considerations

Fun read for kids who like to read books with high jinx. However, I had trouble connecting with the characters.

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Jun 24, 2019 Amanda rated it liked it

An enjoyable light read, although a bit slow in the first half. Less snarky than Terrible Two and less complicated than Great Greene Heist. Good for grades 3-5.

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