CAMP STRANGE

In this debut fantasy, a boy who is
bullied at school gains confidence and acceptance in magic camp.

Fifth-grader Ezekiel Raroso has
magic in his blood. Unfortunately, he doesn’t know this, and when strange
things happen around him—the disastrous eruption of his science project, for
example—he starts thinking of himself as a weirdo. Ezekiel has a few friends at
school, but for the most part, he is shunned and bullied. His loving family has
never told him the truth about his past—not even when Ezekiel’s powers become
too strong to cover up and he’s sent to magic camp. Camp Strange, as Ezekiel
dubs it, is for Faerman children—what the outside world would call fairies.
Ezekiel’s ignorance makes him an outsider here, too, at first; but his good
nature allows him to make friends with other Fledglings (first-year campers),
and he soon begins to enjoy himself. He even sprouts wings. Camp Strange, in
fact, is the best thing ever. But there are sinister happenings behind the
scenes: rumors that the Hematites (dark, wing-stealing Faerman) have returned.
Will Ezekiel and his friends survive their first camp? Perez follows squarely
in the footsteps of J.K. Rowling—from Ezekiel’s unmitigated bullying, dark
legacy, and natural aptitude for both magic and flying to such facets as
magical houses and cuisines and the camp’s bearded Magnus Magister. But Ezekiel
is a less hotheaded 11-year-old than Harry Potter was. Ezekiel’s most prominent
quality is his empathy, and this, more than anything, forms the crux of the
book. He and his friends are distinct characters with their own idiosyncrasies.
For all their excited companionship and adventures around the camp, though,
what comes across most is their awareness of one another’s feelings. Although
the novel has flaws—most notably a danger element put too easily out of mind,
explored more as historical backstory than immediate threat—Ezekiel and the
others are strong and likable enough characters to compensate. All told,
middle-grade readers should approve.

A longish but high-spirited read with a powerful
young hero.