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.
Jean Fischer is a professional writer with a solid background in publishing. While an editor at Golden Books, she oversaw the creative development of activity books and award-winning audio and book products. As a freelance writer, she co-wrote books with Christian authors Thomas Kinkade, John MacArthur, and John C. Maxwell and created devotions for the popular children's series Adventures in Odyssey concepted by Dr. James Dobson.
Jean writes Christian literature for adults as well as children's picture books, board books, nonfiction books and K-6 Language Arts workbooks and textbooks. She also creates promotional material for a leading fast-food restaurant. Her recent books include four preteen novels in the Camp Club Girls series published by Barbour Books and A Charles Dickens Devotional by Thomas Nelson.
Jean holds degrees in elementary education and library science and an advanced certificate in technical communication.
Sydney’s story is the fifth book in the series, which means it is the second to last book in this series! Like the others, this is an anthology of 4 Camp Club Girls books that are being republished in 2019 (the others of which are linked above). This was a really fun read: while it was less realistic than the other books, it was really exciting and each story was different from the others, both in this anthology and in the previous books, which I enjoyed a lot! This book covers the adventures of Sydney, and the books in this anthology are Books 2, 8, 14, and 19 from the original publishing.
Book 2: Sydney’s DC Discovery This might be my favorite book out of the series! Although a personal pet peeve of mine is when a president is mentioned in a book, without actually having been a president (a “made up” president), this book was super exciting, albeit unrealistic. It is exactly this kind of suspension of disbelief in a middle-grade book that I enjoy. The plot was really exciting all the way through and kept me hooked. There were also a lot of clues and enough danger and high enough stakes that made it a fun read. 4/5
Book 8: Sydney’s Outer Banks Blast This story was really different: while all of the other stories are pretty realistic and the girls are pretty solid in their faith and mature, in this one, Bailey got really spooked by aliens and UFOs, which kinda ruined the story for me. Although they were always reminded of God, they believed in UFOs pretty much all the way up until the end, which was kinda obnoxious. However, the rest of the story was good enough that I’ll still rate it 3/5.
Book 14: Sydney and the Wisconsin Whispering Woods This was a fun book! I grew up in northern Michigan, so this story being set in Wisconsin was really fun to read, because it reminded me of there. This one felt anticlimactic? Sydney seems to be more prone to think the worst of people, and in this one, that really comes out when she decides to investigate a mysterious man in the forest with her friend by herself? It was . . . kinda not very smart and there wasn’t any consequence, which I thought would have happened if two tweens investigated in the forest by themselves. It turns out the man was trying to make some top level medical discovery, which was also kind of glazed over? So that was kinda wack. 3/5
Book 19: Sydney and the Curious Cherokee Cabin I enjoyed reading this, even though it did not conclude great. I felt that there was really good portrayal and respect paid to the Cherokee tribe (although I’m not well educated in it, so it may have been a terrible representation, I don’t know), and the story throughout paid respect to the heritage of the Cherokee people. I enjoyed that story, and I also really liked that Galilahi was included in with the Camp Club Girls. 3/5
My Rating- In terms of the stories, this is one of my favorite books in the series: each of the stories were really distinct and exciting to read. Sydney wasn’t really my favorite character; she tended to jump to conclusions a little.
While I tended to rate each of the individual stories lower than average, it was simply because it was a series that was not for me: I’m not really in the middle-grade demographic. Overall, I would definitely recommend it to girls that are in the proper age range who would enjoy it, and I would have enjoyed when I was that age.
Overall Rating- 4/5
Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review; I was not required to write a positive review.
Sydney's DC Discovery (Camp Club Girls #2) Fun storyline but a little on the implausible side for me. I liked how the girls worked together and the Bible verses that were incorporated for what they were facing. The setting and learning about Fort Meade was also a fun element. Enjoyed this one.
Sydney's Outer Banks Blast (Camp Club Girls, #8) Interesting installment of the series. I really liked the location of the Outer Banks and the character of Captain Swain. The mystery was interesting although Bailey's obsession with UFO's being the answer to the mystery kind of drove me nuts. It also irritated me that Bailey insists on calling Elizabeth "BettyBoo" even though Elizabeth hates it. Bailey does this in at least one other book of the series and it just seems so disrespectful to continue to call a friend a name she hates, even after the other girls remind Bailey that Elizabeth doesn't like that nickname. That really just rubs me wrong. The end was interesting and made for a fun 'reveal." Good read.
Sydney and the Wisconsin Whispering Woods (Camp Club Girls, #14) This story has an unusual mystery paired with a lovely setting. Sydney and Alex are in the woods of Wisconsin trying to solve the mystery of the purple lights in the forest while dealing with a a boy who's a bit of a bully staying in the cabin next door. This one was a fun read.
Sydney and the Curious Cherokee Cabin (Camp Club Girls #19) The girls have a historical mystery to solve in this installment of the Camp Club Girls series. This was an unusual mystery and an interesting one that takes some effort on the girls part. The stuff with the Cherokee language was a neat addition to the story. I liked this story.
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!
Camp Club Girls: Sydney 4-in-1 Mysteries for Girls
by Jean Fischer
Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Barbour Books
Children’s Fiction , Christian
Pub Date 01 May 2019
I am reviewing a copy of Camp Club Girls Sydney through Barbour Publishing and Netgalley:
In Sydney’s D.C Discovery there is trouble lurking in D.C. There are secret messages being left at the Vietnam Memorial wall in Washington D.C? Will Sydney and Elizabeth be able to unravel the confusing clues? Find out in Sydney’s D.C Discovery.
In Camp Club Girls: Sydney’s Outer Banks Blast, Sydney and Bailey find that they are dealing with far more than they bargained for in North Carolina. They encounter baffling events on the Outer Banks! Will the Camp Club Girls discovery who or what left the footprints in the sand. Find out in Camp Club Girls: Sydney’s Outer Banks Blast.
In Camp Club Girls: Sydney and the Wisconsin Whispering Woods: Is there a wild animal on the lake or is it something more menacing, Sydney and Alexis are on the case as they are getting back to nature on a lake in Northern Wisconsin. Will Sydney and Alexis be able to solve the mystery before there time is up?
In Camp Club Girls: Sydney and the Curious Cherokee Cabin in this book Sydney and Elizabeth are once again reunited this time in North Carolina with Elizabeth’s family here they meet Galilahi, a young girl searching for clues to her Cherokee Indian heritage. Will the Camp Club Girls be able to help Galilahi find out more about her Grandmother?
I give Camp Club Girls: Sydney five out of five stars!
My daughter and I have read four of the Camp Club Girls books so far. We have enjoyed every one. Occasionally we come across a story that isn't our favorite but for the most part, each story has been interesting and intriguing. Each of these books include four books in one, so it takes us a little longer to read, as we read a chapter or two each night before bed for our special time together. In this book the mystery surrounding the nation's capital and the Outer Banks were the most exciting ones and probably our favorites. I enjoyed the one about the nation's capital because there were "real" bad guys! Many times we learn things about history and places from the stories. Each one is a unique adventure. I highly recommend these books for girls in the tween and pre-teen ages. They are fun to read, and have great values and encouragement for girls to live godly lives. I received a copy of this book through netgalley to read with my daughter. I was not asked to review in a positive manner and all opinions are my own.
I loved Jean Fischer contribution to the Camp Club Girls series. I think Sydney is my favorite to date. I highly recommend this book for young girls. So good. Five stars.
Sydney is a lot of fun. I've now read most of the series and can't recommend it highly enough! Between the interesting places and history, the courage and faith, and learning from mistakes these girls experience, its hard to put down. (even in your 30s, though admittedly I usually solve the case far earlier than they do)
Sydney is the health-conscious member of the Camp Club Girls. She leads the way in fitness (running) and making good choices in what / how much to eat. She does this without shaming herself or anyone else. And she is more than willing to splurge on an occasional treat! All things in moderation after all!
Thanks to #netgalley for letting me preview #campclubgirlssydney before my tween daughter reads this book. All Camp Club Girls are connected to each other and will be a great read for girls ages 9-13.
Overall a great 4-in-1 collection -
Book 1 relates to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC as well as Fort McHenry. Of all of the dozen Camp Club girl books that I previewed, I think this one was the most intense. I would not recommend it for girls younger than 10 as it directly deals with an attempted assassination. But it is a good book about the importance of not making assumptions.
Book 2 is set in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This one is not intense at all, and I think it is almost amusing what ends up leaving the tracks in the sand.
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?
Book # 3 is set in northern Wisconsin and involves a lot of fishing. Plus a potential bear attack. It also deals with concept of forgiveness and taking revenge.
Book # 4 was very fascinating since it dealt with North Carolina Cherokee before the "Trail of Tears." I tried to figure out if any of it was based on fact. The idea of the Cherokee having strong believers in their midst was definitely intriguing.
All of the stories in this book are very well written and will hold your attention. All the Camp Club Girls books have a a mystery to solve and a wonderful christian message in them. I really enjoyed reading this book. Thank you Barbour Publishing via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. This is my honest opinion.