Sunday, June 29, 2025

Camp Prodigy by Caroline Palmer

 

Camp Prodigy
by Caroline Palmer
LGBTQIA+

Summary:
        Camp Prodigy follows a young viola student named Nate who attends a life-changing concert and decides to get serious about being a musician. Nate's parents send him to a music-based summer camp where Nate learns more about their gender identity, music, friendship, and what true success looks like.

Justification:
        This is a fantastic graphic novel to include in a library's collection. Graphic novels are only gaining popularity, so seeking diverse books is wise. This one features diversity regarding gender, family structures, and includes characters who are POC. The plot delicately handles many themes that are beneficial for young kids, and manages to discuss them in an easily understandable but still nuanced way. 

Illustrations:
        The art style in this graphic novel is colorful, fun, and exciting! The way the art conveyed character expressions reminded me of the typical manga style. It was really interesting to see in a graphic novel, and the illustrations even made me laugh at times. This graphic novel relies a lot on visual storytelling through the art, which increases students' ability to understand context clues. 

Characters:
        The characters in this book are delightfully real. The sibling relationship between Nate and their brother is charming. The book perfectly depicts the awkwardness of asking an older sibling for advice and the grins and teasing that usually come next. I also really enjoyed the relationship between Nate and Eli. They helped each other through anxiety, practicing, imposter syndrome, and even got annoyed with each other, too, just like real friends do. I loved that both Nate and Eli identified as nonbinary and that Eli was able to give advice to Nate on coming out and being bold.

Setting:
        The camp setting of this novel is so fun and evokes the feeling of summertime. The camp setting felt very authentic. There were multiple panels that showed the kids doing typical camp activities, like tie-dyeing, playing cards, and making crafts with beads. 

Palmer, C. (2024). Camp prodigy. Atheneum Books for Young Readers. 

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