From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6–When best friends Agnes and Prejean find themselves in different bunks at science camp, it seems like the end of fun. Worse yet, Agnes, who by nature is nice, is partnered with bad-tempered, bluntly honest Nyssa. Predictable summer camp high jinks follow, with pranks revenging pranks, while these seventh graders struggle to get to know their atypical bunkmates. Agnes admires aspects of Nyssa's personality and finds herself changing for the better, while she is becoming aware of Prejean's beauty and mystique from a distance. Readers will find this both an introspective look at character traits and a fun romp in nature as they observe bright kids having adventures at Camp Numanu. Fans of
Agnes Parker…Girl in Progress (Dial, 2003) will enjoy this one as well. O'Dell's writing style is similar to that of Joanna Hurwitz or Beverly Cleary, featuring strong characters with whom kids can easily identify and admire.
–Debbie Whitbeck, West Ottawa Public Schools, Holland, MI
Gr. 4-6. In this sequel to
Agnes Parker . . . Girl in Progress (2003), rising seventh-graders Agnes and best friend Prejean arrive at science camp and discover that they have been assigned to different cabins. Being forced to hang out with her cabinmates, the Mallards, makes Agnes aware of how different she and Prejean are, and she begins to fear that their friendship may be waning. Misunderstandings and camp rivalries lead to the usual pranks and dirty tricks (including mud-stained underwear and a honey-drenched cabin door), but in the end the two friends make peace--with a little help from Agnes' bunkmate, Nyssa. O'Dell writes knowingly of preteen anxieties and concerns, and her characters ring true, even if they sometimes seem frustratingly shallow. Perhaps the most intriguing character is Nyssa, a somewhat gruff nonconformist who manages to be perceptive about others even as she hides from her own family issues. Try this with readers looking for a light treatment of serious friendship concerns.
Kay WeismanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
