Cartboy Goes to Camp

May 1, 2014
Can Hal survive Camp Jamestown or will he becometh history?Having completed sixth grade, Hal Rifkind was happy to put Mr. Tupkin's time-capsule journal project behind him, but now he starts a new journal addressed to some future person (or alien) as a form of solace when his history-obsessed father sends him to Camp Jamestown, where it's always 1607. Camp owner Mr. Prentice is nice enough, but he says "ye" and "thee" instead of "you" and won't stop calling on Hal despite Hal's lack of historical knowledge. Of course Ryan, who tortured Hal last year, is also at the camp. Thankfully, Hal makes new friends, and they have a treasure map of camp that may pay off. Also, skilled pioneer camper Cora seems interested in being friends...maybe history camp won't be so bad. Without the time-capsule conceit of the previous book, the journal format in Campbell's second Cartboy title falls flat. Doodles, timelines and photos again extend the story, but the cliched appearance of the bully from home, Hal's dad's lack of character growth, and the coincidences and logic leaps that characterize the treasure hunt make this sophomore effort truly sophomoric. Even the ample fart humor can't save it.Fans of the first will probably be disappointed; at best, it's a desperation read-alike for Big Nate or Wimpy Kid. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 9-12)

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July 1, 2014
Grades 3-6 Following in the footsteps of Wimpy Kid Greg Heffley, Hal Rifkind starts off this second Cartboy book happy to be done with sixth grade and ready to hone his video-game skills, when he is informed that he is going to a rustic summer camp the very next day. Hal has certainly got down the wimpy part of the equation: he barely objects to the sudden change of plans and even brings the shopping cart that inspired his hated nickname. Fortunately, Campbell has picked up on the rueful humor that animates Jeff Kinney's series. In his journal, Hal offers up amusingly dry observations about camp, which recreates the Jamestown settlement experience: Tug of war is a game you play when the only sports equipment you have is rope. Simple clip art (i.e., a photo of a piece of rope) shows up throughout the book. It's a bit of a stretch that Hal's hulking nemesis from the first book also shows up at a camp seven hours from home, but most of the surprises are of the welcome, and very funny, variety.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)