Camo Girl

holldoll - Imagine yourself as someone who would kill to be popular, but simply can't, just because of what you look like and the people you're friends with. Well, this is the story if the book Camo Girl, by Kekla Magoon. This is a realistic fiction book that in many ways is very real in the world. Yet this book sends a great message to kids all around, and it is simply amazing. Ella and Z have been friends forever. It doesn't matter, when, where, or what they're doing, it's always done together. The author clearly shows that Ella would do anything to be popular, but she simply can't leave Z behind. Since Z is known as the weird kid at school, Ella knows he needs someone there to protect him from the the bullies and popular kids. But things change when the new kid Bailey comes to school. Bailey learns quickly who's popular, and who's not. Ella really tries to make an impression on Bailey at school. One day, Ella comes home to Bailey playing basketball in her driveway. Bailey offers to teach her, and even asks if she wants to hang out. The next day at school, when Ella is called names, Bailey stands up for her, and even leaves the lunch table he was sitting at to go sit with her and Z. Bailey soon learns to accept Ella, but Z disapproves. Z is jealous of all of the time Ella spends with Bailey now, so he separates himself from her. Ella is left with the decision of choosing popularity or her best friend, which puts her in a tough spot. Kekla Magoon is the author of many other books, including The Rock and the River, How it Went Down, and Fire in the Streets. The type of reader that would enjoy this book would be any gender from ages 10-15. This books send a great message to kids about being yourself and making the right decisions in life.

December 6, 2010
Magoon (The Rock and the River) offers a sensitive and articulate portrayal of a pair of middle-school outsiders. Sixth-graders Zachary ("Z") and Ella are longtime friends, loners who have bonded over the loss of their fathers. On their own, they refer to themselves as Sir Zachariah and Lady Eleanor, using the trappings of royalty and chivalry to steel themselves against real-life bullies at their all-white school, who call biracial Ella "Camo-Face" and consider Z, who is extremely immersed in his fantasies, to be "reality-challenged." When another black student, Bailey, begins attending their school and shows an interest in Ella, it challenges her friendship with Z, casting a new light on his behavior and vulnerability. Ella's relationships—with her mother, grandmother, Bailey, and Z—are especially well rendered; the decisions Ella must make regarding Z are all the more poignant as she herself has seen a close friend become an ex-friend in recent years. This poetic and nuanced story addresses the courage it takes to truly know and support someone, as well as the difficult choices that come with growing up. Ages 8–14.

January 1, 2011

Gr 5-8-The lone African American in her Nevada junior high school, sixth-grader Ella struggles with self-image, bullying, and shifting friendships. Tormented by the vitiligo on her face, she shuns mirrors and feels ostracized. Her one true friend is Zachariah (Z), a homeless loner classmate whose imaginative fantasies mask his troubled emotional state. When Bailey James, also African American, enrolls in her school and befriends Ella, her world begins to change. Ella is drawn to Bailey's popularity and friendship but doesn't want to lose Z. When he disappears, Ella and Bailey secretly hop a bus to Las Vegas to find him. Along the way, Ella discovers that Bailey has secrets and fears of his own. The three children have maternal support and love but miss their fathers. Ella's died young; Z's, a gambler, abandoned his family; and Bailey's soldier father is in treatment for PTSD. Ella's coming-of-age narrative reveals her growing awareness of the complexities of life and the burdens each person carries. Magoon writes with insight, wit, and compassion. Characters are appealing; action is well paced; and adolescent angst is palpable. Although Ella's skin condition and Z's psychological problems are not clearly defined, the trauma of both is conveyed. Ella is caught between a desire to hang out with Bailey and the popular crowd or remain loyal to eccentric Z, and her actions, musings, and guilt will resonate with readers.-Gerry Larson, Durham School of the Arts, NC

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