Slept Away by Julie Kraut

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Genre: Contemporary

Release Date: 5/26/09

About the Book: Laney Parker is a city girl who is looking forward to parties in Manhattan with her friends and a loungey summer by the pool. Maybe she could even find a cool fashionista internship and get lots of fashion swag!

But Laney's mom has other plans and sends her to Camp Timber Trails for the summer. Laney is surrounded by arts and crafts, daily sports activities and no cell phone or e-mail. Can a city girl survive at summer camp?

GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I really enjoyed this book! It was light, funny, and a great summer read. Even if you're not heading off to summer camp, Slept Away is a great vacation read.

I'm more of a city girl myself and the only camping I've ever really done was staying in my grandparent's RV which was in their backyard, so we had easy access to indoor plumbing, air-conditioning and snacks. So I totally felt Laney's pain with being stuck at camp for six weeks!

The thing I liked most about this book was that in the beginning, Laney was more of a city girl somewhat snobby character, but that all gets turned upside down when she arrives at Camp Timber Trails. She's the outcast of her bunk, she's mocked by the "billboard butts" (the self proclaimed popular girls at camp), and she's stuck with the pool peers. This really made Laney more empathic and relatable-I wanted to cheer Laney on through her summer.

The dialog is witty and full of pop culture references. At times I thought there were too many pop culture references, and I wonder if some of them will go over the heads of younger readers. Still, there were several moments I laughed out loud! There's even some romance, which anyone who knows me, knows I love romance!:) Laney tries to play matchmaker with one of her bunk mates and the nerd romance that ensues is just too cute!

If you're looking for a book to start your summer reading with, I highly recommend Slept Away.