10 Amazing Books About Camp to Take You Back

The Summer of Songbirds by Kristy Woodson Harvey

Every so often you read a book that brings you back to your childhood. Kirsty Woodson Harvey’s new summer camp book, Summer of Songbirds, brought me back to my summers at camp but is also the story of the bonds of friendship. 

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. 

This book touched my heart. I loved every word! This is a real celebration of friendship and chosen family. All the stars.

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. This is on our list of 52 Best Books for Book Clubs to Read and had to be included in our summer camp books list!

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!

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. 

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager

I did not see this ending coming. I was so freaked out that I finished this thriller in 2 days, maybe because I visited my own overnight camp while reading this summer camp book.

I just needed to know how it ended! Other people have told me they were shocked at the twists and turns too. It’s a truly excellent popular thriller and a perfect pick for lake books.

You can also find it on our list of books set at camp. And if you love to read Riley Sager, check out our post The Best Riley Sager Books Ranked by Super Fans.

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

This horror definitely 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.

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? This is definitely the scariest of all the choices on this list of books about camp.

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

I don’t think there is a boy (or girl) out there who has read this middle grade fantasy series and not loved it. It is the only series that can compare to Harry Potter in terms of how much my son LOVES it.  

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. If you love Percy Jackson, you should check out our 18 Exciting Books like Percy Jackson for Fans to Enjoy or our Epic Guide to Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson Books in Order.

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?