Click Here To Purchase From Amazon Not A Happy Camper

ISBN: 978-0-8021-1848-6

Publisher: Grove Press

Mindy Schneider’s NOT A HAPPY CAMPER is tagged as a memoir. I truly believe Ms. Schneider lived this story. It’s an intimate and sweet story that reads like it’s coming straight from a 13 year old girl—Schneider certainly knows her craft and her audience.

As a parent, I’m grateful for a peek into Jewish culture, which I know little about. I shared this book with my granddaughters (ages 9 and 10) and it inspired many discussions—what’s a temple, what’s kosher, what do the Jewish people believe, and so on. For better or worse, Ms. Schneider perpetuates Jewish stereotypes by giving Mindy a shrewish mother and a frugal father. In addition, the camp is run by a Jewish con artist who promises everything a Jewish mother considers important, but delivers none. It’s a memoir and I assume these details are true so I can hardly fault the author for being honest. I suppose it isn’t stereotypical when it comes from the source—just life experience. Some things made me a bit uncomfortable, but maybe that’s what the author intended.

Mindy’s adventure takes us back to the 1970’s, but that’s just geography. Most of the story is timeless and the timing details add flavor. (Some material is dated and likely to confuse today’s young readers, who haven’t a clue what we watched on television or what songs were popular. A few references are totally lost on today’s children.) Unfortunately, Mindy doesn’t seem to enjoy being Jewish because it sets her apart from her friends. She isn’t popular and she suffers from the same angst as everyone else—being Jewish doesn’t make her that different. Most young teen girls are going to identify with her troubles. Her biggest worry is finding a boyfriend. Ms. Schneider handles this particular problem expertly. It wasn’t long before my girls were reciting in unison “…I just want a boyfriend.” We laughed and laughed—thank you Ms. Schneider for turning a drab, rain-drenched eight-week sleepover camp into an entertaining story that introduced my grandchildren to a different world.

In particular, I’d like to thank Ms. Schneider for having the courage to challenge today’s young readers with appropriate language. Reluctant readers will find this book difficult to read. On the other hand, my granddaughters added many new words to their vocabulary—they are better readers for having tackled this book.

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