Camp — Elaine Wolf

Amy Becker's mother holds a dark secret. In fact, her whole past is a secret. All Amy knows is that her mother came from Germany -- and that her mother doesn't love her. That icy voice. Those rigid rules of how to eat, dress, walk, talk, and think. No matter what Amy does, no matter how much she follows the rules, she just can't earn her mother's love.

But everything changes that summer of 1963, when fourteen-year-old Amy is sent to Camp Takawanda for Girls. Takawanda, where all the rules get broken. Takawanda, where mean girls practice bullying as if it were a sport. Takawanda, where Amy's cousin unveils the truth about Amy's mother, setting in motion a tragic event that changes Amy and her family forever.

Winner of the Forward National Literature Award and a book-of-the-month pick by the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County (New York), Camp is widely recommended by librarians, teachers, and book clubs (adult groups as well as teen). It's an acutely sensitive and compelling novel about bullying, family relationships, and the collateral damage of secrets. The paperback edition includes discussion questions and a conversation with the author.