libscote's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
3.0
I like these kinds of stories that deal with the middle school age, where you're dealing with realizing what other people think for the first time. I initially read Z as coded as autistic, but by the end of the story, it seems like there is more going on. Solid middle grade choice.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Racism, and Mental illness
yapha's review against another edition
3.0
This was a very intense and often times sad book. It tells the story of two outsiders, who have no one but each other. Ella is the only African-American student in her school. She has a pigmentation disorder that causes her face to be splotches of different shades of brown. Z is the smallest kid in the 6th grade. He and his mom have been living at Walmart since they lost their house. Z lives in his own fantasy world, and has lost touch with reality. Everything changes when Bailey, a new, cool, popular, African-American boy moves to their schools. Things start looking up for Ella, but getting much, much worse for Z. Recommended for grades 5 & up.
abigailbat's review against another edition
3.0
Ella brushes her teeth with her eyes closed each morning so that she doesn't have to see her reflection in he mirror. She once had a very best friend, but now her only friend is Z, a boy whose weirdness makes him a social pariah like Ella. The bullies call her "Camo Face" because of her mottled skin. You'd think Ella would be used to it by now, but every time hurts like the first time.
But when Bailey James starts at her school, things begin to change. Bailey shows an interest in her... and yes, it might be because they're the only two black kids in their class, but Ella's enjoying her time with the popular kids. What will happen to her friendship with Z when she starts hanging out with Bailey?
This is a well-written contemporary novel with rich language choices and imagery. With bullying such a hot topic right now, this is a great choice for a classroom discussion. I'd pair it with WONDER by R.J. Palacio for a discussion on judging people by their looks.
But when Bailey James starts at her school, things begin to change. Bailey shows an interest in her... and yes, it might be because they're the only two black kids in their class, but Ella's enjoying her time with the popular kids. What will happen to her friendship with Z when she starts hanging out with Bailey?
This is a well-written contemporary novel with rich language choices and imagery. With bullying such a hot topic right now, this is a great choice for a classroom discussion. I'd pair it with WONDER by R.J. Palacio for a discussion on judging people by their looks.
brennieree33's review against another edition
2.0
This book was a decent kids read. It certainly wasn't what I was expecting, but it wasn't too bad. I'm just not really sure how I feel about the characters. There was a lot of confusing narratives and excuses, and I just wasn't a super big fan of it.
TW: mental health issues, grief, policemen (not brutality, just being kind of rough to kids), homelessness, bullying
TW: mental health issues, grief, policemen (not brutality, just being kind of rough to kids), homelessness, bullying
readingthief's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
tcbueti's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this was very strong: the author's exploration of bullying and loyalty was very thoughtful and layered. Ella's fleeting hope, and then despair felt very real, as her social standing showed signs of possible improvement, but then came crashing back down. Her wanting to fit in with her old friend Millie (and HER new friends), but not wanting to abandon Zachary, is a common situation, especially in middle school. Add a new, handsome classmate to the mix and it becomes really complicated.
Is everyone hiding something?
I like the paperback cover much better:[bc:Camo Girl|11921525|Camo Girl|Kekla Magoon|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1344395378s/11921525.jpg|10682106]
Some nice basketball action. And light romance.
Is everyone hiding something?
I like the paperback cover much better:[bc:Camo Girl|11921525|Camo Girl|Kekla Magoon|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1344395378s/11921525.jpg|10682106]
Some nice basketball action. And light romance.
tami_provencher's review against another edition
3.0
When I saw the title for the book I assumed I would be reading the story of a girl from a military family. But that is not what Camo Girl is. The camouflage in this book is both the pigment condition Ella has which causes her to have differently-pigmented shades of skin on her face AND the idea of being hidden from sight in a deeper way from the inside out. How do we hide from the reality in our lives that hurt or seem to hard to look at?
Ella is in middle school and has resigned herself to being alone. She is the only black/multiracial girl in her school. She is often made fun of because her skin is mottled, causing it to have patches of skin that are different shades of brown on her face. She is friends with 'Z,' a classmate lost in a fantasy world in order to navigate his own struggle with abandonment. She feels obligated to protect him from the bullying they both endure often by their peers.
Ella is surprised and a little excited when the new student--Bailey--turns out to be black as well. She thinks finally! she may have someone to whom she can relate, with whom she might be friends an a way that brings the sense of belonging she's missing. And, as is the case so often, Ella finds herself struggling to figure out how to move toward friendship with Bailey without deserting Z.
Ella speaks for so many of us, young and old, who search for the place, the people in life with whom we belong. It requires insight and experience and a willingness to see ourselves as we truly are. Ella shows the reader through her own thoughts, feelings and actions what it is like to feel a part of something, someone, then lose that and have to redefine what it means to "belong" and search for it again.
Camo Girl has some brilliant and tender moments. Its overall pace, however, moves along in starts and stops like an engine that keeps sputtering. For me, the final conflict felt forced which then takes away from the impact the story can leave on the reader. Ultimately unsatisfying for me from a story and character perspective, Camo Girl has enough extraordinarily well-crafted moments in Ella's voice that it is still worth the read. I can see some young readers--particularly girls--enjoying the story and buying into the ending more than I did as an adult. Those are the readers to whom I would suggest Camo Girl as a Lovelace nominee choice (a group that I am pretty sure will include my 11-year-old, 6th Grade daughter).
Ella is in middle school and has resigned herself to being alone. She is the only black/multiracial girl in her school. She is often made fun of because her skin is mottled, causing it to have patches of skin that are different shades of brown on her face. She is friends with 'Z,' a classmate lost in a fantasy world in order to navigate his own struggle with abandonment. She feels obligated to protect him from the bullying they both endure often by their peers.
Ella is surprised and a little excited when the new student--Bailey--turns out to be black as well. She thinks finally! she may have someone to whom she can relate, with whom she might be friends an a way that brings the sense of belonging she's missing. And, as is the case so often, Ella finds herself struggling to figure out how to move toward friendship with Bailey without deserting Z.
Ella speaks for so many of us, young and old, who search for the place, the people in life with whom we belong. It requires insight and experience and a willingness to see ourselves as we truly are. Ella shows the reader through her own thoughts, feelings and actions what it is like to feel a part of something, someone, then lose that and have to redefine what it means to "belong" and search for it again.
Camo Girl has some brilliant and tender moments. Its overall pace, however, moves along in starts and stops like an engine that keeps sputtering. For me, the final conflict felt forced which then takes away from the impact the story can leave on the reader. Ultimately unsatisfying for me from a story and character perspective, Camo Girl has enough extraordinarily well-crafted moments in Ella's voice that it is still worth the read. I can see some young readers--particularly girls--enjoying the story and buying into the ending more than I did as an adult. Those are the readers to whom I would suggest Camo Girl as a Lovelace nominee choice (a group that I am pretty sure will include my 11-year-old, 6th Grade daughter).
dairyqueen84's review against another edition
4.0
Ella Cartwright’s best friend is Z or Zachariah and he needs protection. Z lives in a fantasy world that she helped him create where he is a brave knight and she is a fair lady because sometimes the real world is just so hard to deal with since his father abandoned him and his mom. Ella has her own problems too; the cool kids, mostly boys, tease her about her uneven complexion calling her Camo Face because someone thought it looked like desert camouflage; her father has died of cancer, her grandmother lives with them because her mom spends part of the week at her job as a steward on the train from Las Vegas to Chicago. She is the only black student in school. Millie used to be her other best friend but she started hanging out with the popular kids, dropping Zachariah and Ella once they got to 6th grade. Z was always the weird kid but he seems to be getting worse. Then Bailey James comes to town, another black student, and seems to want to be friends with Ella. As Ella grows closer to Bailey, Z grows agitated and Ella does not know how to fix it. Everyone is keeping secrets and it all comes to a head in dramatic fashion. Themes of fitting in, friendship, standing up for others, and family are woven throughout and Ella’s story will bring you to tears.
couillac's review against another edition
4.0
As usual, the Newbery contenders are the books I wouldn't normally read but when I do, I'm always impressed. I love books that are able to truly understand the 5th and 6th grade years and all the ambiguity that goes with the desire to keep childhood friendships while gaining teenage ones, the first beginnings of navigating potential romance, and all the uncertainty of knowing where one fits in to a world that used to be so familiar.
Magoon shows a deep understanding of this age, as her heroine Ella vacillates between her perceived duty towards childhood friend and social outcast Z, and her desire to pursue a friendship with new boy Bailey, the only other African American kid in her school and a potential key to social acceptance. Ella, Z, and Bailey all struggle with the loss of their fathers, and while this ultimately brings them together in the most challenging of moments, it is also what finally breaks Ella and Z apart as the adults in her life help her to understand that she can't help her ailing friend alone. I'm glossing over all kinds of things here, but suffice it to say that this is a quietly powerful book about the depths of friendship, for better and for worse, and how the strength of family and community can be there even for those kids who feel the most isolated if they'll just reach out and ask. A really hopeful book, well-crafted and authentically written.
Magoon shows a deep understanding of this age, as her heroine Ella vacillates between her perceived duty towards childhood friend and social outcast Z, and her desire to pursue a friendship with new boy Bailey, the only other African American kid in her school and a potential key to social acceptance. Ella, Z, and Bailey all struggle with the loss of their fathers, and while this ultimately brings them together in the most challenging of moments, it is also what finally breaks Ella and Z apart as the adults in her life help her to understand that she can't help her ailing friend alone. I'm glossing over all kinds of things here, but suffice it to say that this is a quietly powerful book about the depths of friendship, for better and for worse, and how the strength of family and community can be there even for those kids who feel the most isolated if they'll just reach out and ask. A really hopeful book, well-crafted and authentically written.