Summer Camp: Ready Or Not! [Hardcover]

Sandra Belton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1997

Two young African-American girls, Ernestine and Amanda, go to separate summer camps, and although they both enjoy the fun of camp, they each realize that their friends from home sometimes understand them best."

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6. In this sequel to Ernestine and Amanda (S & S, 1996), two African-American girls on the brink of their 11th birthdays relate their parallel experiences of attending summer camp. Neither one is anxious to go, as each of them is in the midst of coping with upheaval within her family. As the book opens, Ernestine's father has lost his job and Amanda's parents are separating. As the story develops, these universal problems subtly segue into more specific racial issues. Those new to this series will gradually realize that the setting is one of an earlier time of segregated movie theaters and swimming pools. The camps the girls attend differ as markedly as the girls themselves. Ernestine goes to an "all black" facility where the emphasis is on achievement, the rules are many, and the food is unappealing. Camp Castle, mostly white and extremely affluent, offers a completely different experience for Amanda. There is no overt discussion of race, but prejudice is present. While it is not surprising that both girls return home wiser and more self-aware, the resolution of issues at home is not pat. Readers of all backgrounds will identify with Ernestine and Amanda, their family situations, their anxieties, and their maturation. Their experiences in the context of their racial awareness will also be universally enlightening.?Starr LaTronica, Four County Library System, Vestal, NY
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 4^-6. Belton picks up right where she left off in last year's Ernestine & Amanda. It is the summer between the fifth and sixth grades for the two African American girls. Ernestine is still battling a weight and image problem, Amanda's parents have agreed to separate, and both girls are reluctantly going to camp--Ernestine to an all-black camp and Amanda to a predominantly white one. The story is told in alternating first person as each girl experiences the struggles and joys of camp life. Even though children who didn't read the first book will probably have some difficulty picking up clues to the story's time period (the parents listen to records and go to the movie Blackboard Jungle), Belton captures everyday life for middle-class black children during the 1950s with poignancy and freshness. The scenes in which Amanda dimly realizes that some of the white girls at camp are making fun of her are drawn with both subtlety and razor sharpness. Ernestine and Amanda don't meet much in this story, but readers can look forward to their getting together when they begin attending the same school. Susan Dove Lempke

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; 1st edition (June 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689808461
• ISBN-13: 978-0689808463
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,884,549 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars this Forty-something enjoyed this book!, January 13, 2000

By 

Dera R Williams (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Summer Camp: Ready Or Not! (Aladdin Fiction) (Board book)

I bought the whole series for my eleven year-old neice. I thought this would be a nice departure from the Babysitter Club since it features African American little girls. I happened to bring the book into the hairdresser by mistake and read the whole thing thoroughly enjoying. I was able to relive some of my childhood and my neice was exposed to the culture of the fifties in a Jim Crow south done lovingly and with care. I applaud Miss Belton for her insightful series.