Official Review: Freak Camp: Posts From a Previously Norm...

[Airam Velarde]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Freak Camp: Posts From a Previously Normal Girl" by Jessica V. Barnett.]

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Thirteen year old Celeste Jardine has a bigger problem than most teenagers do at her age: she doesn’t know her source yet. Everyone around her seems to already have a good knowledge of their source, even her three year old stepbrother does, much to her dismay. It is the end of the school year, and before her summer ends, she must identify her source - earth, air, fire, or water. Only then can she enter one of the four public source schools, and of course, avoid being sent to the infamous private school for unidentified teens, Fluidity. However, before her summer even starts, her life takes a turn for the worse when she finds out her best friend is being sent away to earth camp for eight weeks. Not only that, her mother has signed her up for summer camp at Fluidity, the one place she wanted to avoid. While struggling to find both herself and a place to belong to, Celeste discovers the more serious reality of her life. By the end of the summer she must make a decision about the things and people that really matter to her. She must discover who she really is, and ultimately, where and with whom she wants to be with when the fall classes start.

Freak Camp: Posts From a Previously Normal Girl is a young adult novel written by Jessica V. Barnett. Recounted in the voice of its teenage protagonist, Celeste, Freak Camp takes us on a very personal journey of self discovery and introduces us to issues that ring true for everyone growing up.

Celeste is a character that is very relatable, especially to teens. She goes through many of the problems that one encounters while growing up. I think her point of view was very realistic and the voice the author gives to her story reflects very well the mind of a teenager. The central conflict of this book would be the overall development of Celeste’s character. We meet her when she is struggling to make sense of her life and those around her. She feels very much alone at the beginning, especially now that she is trying hard to find her source and therefore, a place to belong to. While being in Fluidity camp, she is exposed to other situations her new friends bring her. Here Celeste finally starts to question what being a true friend is and is slowly learning how to feel empathy towards others. She learns to accept herself and to be more conscious of those around her.

I really enjoyed reading Freak Camp, mostly because of the themes discussed in this story. While giving the novel a fantasy concept, the author was able to embed issues that we find in our lives and that therefore, make us connect to this novel and its characters on a more personal level. We find an overall self-exploring theme throughout the book. How to be true to yourself and learn to love yourself for who you are and not what others think you should be. The author also introduces LGBT issues that are a central part of our protagonist’s life. For example, after her parents divorced, Celeste is now living with her mother and stepmother. At first she struggles to accept her stepmother, but then she learns through her mother, how to love with an open heart. I feel the author introduced these themes appropriately and with a light touch. For this reason the story is charming and even humorous in places, but also with serious topics that we can all learn from or relate to.

Overall, I think this book was a very fluid and light story that was very well written. I think it will succeed in keeping its young adult audience interested throughout, while also providing a learning experience. It definitely kept me interested and connected with me on a more personal level. For this reason, I would really recommend this book. I give Freak Camp: Posts From a Previously Normal Girl 4 out of 4 stars.

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[ALynnPowers]

Wow, this sounds really good, and your review is amazing!
I usually don't like stories with characters that young, but I might have to check this one out anyway....

[Airam Velarde]

Thank you so much for your comment!
You definitely should give this book a try. I for one, am not really the type to read young adult books, but I actually really enjoyed reading this one.

[ALynnPowers]

(Just boosting your popularity )

But really, don't tempt me! I already have a huge reading list to get to! Yet I keep being tempted to get new books to review. I need to slow myself down, I think...