13 Amazing Books About Camp to Take You Back
Olive and June just released their summer polish collection and it inspired us to create this post of our favorite books about camp.
Camp has a special place in both of our lives. Going to camp shaped both our lives in different ways. When we saw that Olive and June’s newest collection is all about summer camp, we couldn’t resist sharing our favorite books about camp to match your polish.
*the summer camp books post contains affiliate links. Purchases made through links result in a small commission to us at no cost to you. Some books have been gifted. All opinions are our own.
Best Books About Summer Camp
The Summer of Songbirds by Kristy Woodson Harvey
Daphne, Lanier, and Mary Stuart met at Camp Holly Springs as 6-year-olds and have remained inseparable ever since. They have been through unplanned pregnancies and addiction, and have taken on each other’s hard things.
Now, with the camp that they love so much in danger of closing, the three women come together to help Daphne’s aunt (and owner of the camp) save their beloved home.
Why I Loved It: Every so often you read a book that brings you back to your childhood. Kirsty Woodson Harvey brought me back to my summers at camp. This book touched my heart. I loved every word! This is a real celebration of friendship and chosen family.
Find this Book in Best Books of 2023 / Lake Novels / Summer Camp Novels
Last Summer at the Golden Hotel by Elyssa Friedland
Last Summer at the Golden Hotel is all about 2 families who own a resort in the Catskills and are thinking of selling or overhauling the Golden. This is the ultimate in family drama books.
Three generations of the Goldmans and Weismann clans have gathered to make the decision and family secrets are unspooling left and right in the midst of goat yoga, comedy shows, and salon catastrophes.
It was a pleasure to read it while staying at the Hyatt on the Chesapeake and experiencing some resort life of my own.
Find this book in Best Books for Book Clubs / Summer Camp Books / Books With Colors in the Title
Romance Summer Camp Books
Until Next Summer by Ali Brady
Jessie and Hillary were best friends for years at camp and were supposed to return to become counselors together. Jessie is shocked when Hilary does not return with almost no explanation. Now, years later, Jessie is still working at camp as the director when the owners’ children decide to sell the camp.
Jessie decides to have one last amazing summer at the camp with all the former campers invited back for a reunion. Hilary knows that this is her last chance to have the summer she always wanted and rekindle her friendship with Jessie. But just like kids have camp drama and relationships, the adults are no better!
Why I Love It: This book about summer camp reminds me so much of my childhood at camp. I was laughing so hard while reading this book, I had tears streaming down my face. This is a perfect summer read for anyone who went to camp.
Find This Book in Amazing Books About Camp / Best Beach Reads
Wildfire by Hannah Grace
The second book in BookTok sensation, Hannah Grace’s Maple Hills series is a summer camp book! After a one-night stand before summer break, Aurora wasn’t planning to see Russ again. But then, she reports to work at her beloved overnight camp and sees that he’s a fellow counselor.
This steamy romance is not nearly as dirty as the first book of the series, but there is still PLENTY of heat. Do not let the cartoon cover fool you. This one is for the over-18 crowd.
Why I like it: This romance took me right back to the year I was a summer camp counselor, when I met my now husband. While my camp romance wasn’t quite this steamy, I still remember those summer love butterflies.
Find this book in Summer Reads 2024 / Camp Books
You Have a Match by Emma Lord
Winter 2021 YA Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick
When Abby signs up for a DNA service, she does it to support her best friend and secret crush, Leo. She doesn’t expect to find an older sister she never knew she had. To find uncover the entire story and get to know her green juice-loving, Instagram queen sister, Abby heads off to camp where her sister works.
It also happens to be the same camp where Leo works as a staff chef. This Reese book club YA winter pick is a perfect YA romance with a little more depth and emotion. It’s one of our favorite books about sisters!
The Name Curse by Brooke Burroughs
Bernie is nothing like her great aunt Bernice. Bernice was adventurous and spontaneous while Bernie has not taken a vacation in years.
When her friends and family convince her to go on a hike to Alaska, Bernie can’t find an excuse not to go. When she meets Matthew on the trailhead and discovers that the two will be sharing a tent, he is clearly annoyed and she questions her choices.
This romance was such a fun read. Bernie and Matthew are funny and sweet and I loved every minute. While this is technically camping, I needed to include this in our list of books about camp!
Thriller Books About Camp
The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore by Kim Fu
The book is very readable and has a great storyline. I love books about camp! A group of girls come to camp and go on an overnight camping trip that will change their lives forever.
The book alternates between telling about each girl and telling about the camping trip. I was dissatisfied with the ending and felt like a lot of issues were left unresolved. I wanted the stories of the girls to come back together somehow or for an epilogue.
Plot
Emma is returning to her summer camp as a counselor after avoiding it since the tragedy of her bunkmates, Vivian, Natalie, and Allison’s disappearance. Trying to piece together what happened that fateful summer, she realizes she might be in danger.
Why Jackie loves it
I was so freaked out that I finished this thriller in 2 days, maybe because I visited my own overnight camp while reading it. I just needed to know how it ended! Other people have told me they were shocked at the twists and turns too.
Find this book in: Books Set at Camp / Best Riley Sager Books Ranked / Lake Novels / Popular Thrillers
The Final Girl Support Group
Author: Grady Hendrix
Year: 2021
Genre: Horror Thriller
More info: New York Times Bestseller
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
Lynette is one of a group of final girls in a support group with 5 other girls for over a decade. They are trying to live their lives after being the only survivor of a massacre. When someone starts killing these girls one by one, can they survive again?
Why Jackie loves it
This horror lives up to its title of Goodreads Choice Best Horror Novel. Somehow Grady Hendrix brings humor into his horrors that makes you simultaneously want to turn the page and slam the book shut.
Adaptation Information
In 2021, it was announced that Charlize Theron would produce and adapt this book for HBO into a series.
Find this book in: Books Becoming Movies / Books About Camp
Middle-Grade Books About Camp
Camp Famous by Jennifer Blecher
Abby is so excited to go to summer camp. She is going to camp for famous kids except that she is not famous. So, she pretends to be famous so she can fit in with the other kids at the camp. She just wants to make friends and find a best friend. I don’t want to give spoilers but she has hard decisions she has to make.
This was a really fun book to read and is perfect to read in the summer. I already read it twice. (written by M. Basch)
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief
Author: Rick Riordan
Year: 2005
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
Age:9-13
More info:
Percy Jackson and The Olympian Book #1
Currently a Series on Disney Plus
Plot
This first Percy Jackson book is about our beloved Percy, who discovers he is a demi-god and must recover Zeus’s stolen lightning bolt. He travels into the underworld to locate the lightning bolt and, at the same time, try to save his mother.
His amazing adventures with Annabeth and Grover along the way create the foundation for all the books that follow in this amazing and epic series.
Why Jackie loves it
I don’t think anyone has read this middle grade fantasy series and not loved it. It’s a contemporary Greek mythology retelling for the ages. It is fun and exciting!
Adaptation Information
While the original films based on the books are generally considered to be flops, the show adapted on Disney+ is fantastic! Season 2 is currently being filmed and will follow the second book in the series.
Find this book in: Percy Jackson Books in Order / Rick Riordan Books / Best Books for 10-year-olds / Books like Keeper of the Lost Cities / Tween & Teen Fantasy Books / Books With Neurodivergent Characters
To Night Owl From Dog Fish by Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer
Have you read this Goodreads Choice Awards semi-finalist yet? This book came so highly recommended that I was afraid it wouldn’t live up to the hype. But, I loved it. Is it about two girls who could not be more different whose fathers fall in love and send them to camp together so they can meet before they all become a family.
It is told through emails sent back and forth between the girls, family, and friends as well. It is so well written and is ultimately a summer camp book about friendship and unconditional love. This middle grade book deals with really complicated issues like what makes a family in a completely approachable way.
Holes by Louis Sachar
This is a great middle-grade from our list of books about camp (and yet another that was adapted into a movie!) Holes should be on every child’s list.
When a boy under a curse is sent to a detention camp he’s taught to behave by digging holes all day, every day. It doesn’t take long for him to realize he’s digging for a reason – but what are the camp wardens looking to find?
More Books About Camp
Olive and June Summer 2022
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Olive & June Nail Polish Review with 9 Gorgeous Ombre Ideas!
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