“We’re Number 2!” is the rallying cry at Camp Avalon - better known as “Camp Average,” a boys’ summer sports camp where the teams never win anything. But this summer, when Mack and his summer buddies arrive at Camp Average, looking forward to a few weeks of pranks and play, they discover there’s a new director dictating a new camp philosophy: winning is everything. Oh no, not at Camp Average! These kids will fight for the right to lose - whatever it takes.
Through tricks and teamwork, the Camp Average baseball team plays its own kind of game and the outcome is sure to become the greatest chapter in the camp’s legend and lore. Funny, suspenseful, and filled with baseball play-by-play, this book will appeal to sports fans, especially baseball players, jokesters, and readers of Andrew Clements, Dan Gutman, and Gordon Korman.
240 pages 978-1771473057 Ages 8-12
Keywords: sports, humor, summer camp, competition, baseball, diversity, diverse books, 8 year old, 9 year old, 10 year old, 11 year old
Recommended by: Jean P. Boone, Children's Librarian, Maryland USA
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A group of 11-year-olds arrives to spend six weeks playing sports at Camp Avalon―which they affectionately call Camp Average, because they never win at any sport. And that’s the way they like it. But this summer, new camp director Winston―who hates losing―has some hyper-competitive ideas about how to improve their performance, whether they want to or not!
Led by main character Mack and his friend Andre, the boys of Cabin 10 decide to reclaim their summer and revolt by losing spectacularly at every game they play, and especially at the big baseball tournament coming up with three nearby camps.
In a story full of plotting, planning, and plenty of push-ups, it’s a full-court press on losing for the campers, strategic play-by-play for the camp director, and great teamwork on all sides. Who will come out on top? The first book in the new Camp Average series is a smart, funny summer read featuring a diverse group of realistic characters and a winning storyline.---from the publisher
