Reviews with content warning for Transphobia - Camp QUILTBAG

Sometimes the characters weren't acting their age... it was a confusing mix of acting like 8 y.o. and acting like 16 y.o. when they were 12-13 in reality 😅 Like, they are applying xie / xir pronouns flawlessly but don't know that a Jewish headgear is called kippa. They are learning how to dance a proper waltz within minutes but don't know how to deal with disappointment... and are getting crushes on people the second they see them. - But I guess that's also somehow the fleeting nature of teenage life...

Another thing I cringed at a lil bit was the Jewish rep. Oren was very sweet and became one of my favorite characters... but I found it a bit strange how the authors made it seem as if observing Shabbat meant he had to sit in the principal's office for 24 hours 😂 Also, it didn't feel right that the Jewish place of prayer was called 'temple' instead of 'synagogue' all the time.

All in all, it was a comfortable, engaging read nonetheless.

I loved the idea with Mx. Nutsford btw!

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aelis_'s review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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aus10england's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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jasmineslibraryy's review

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

an adorable queer middle grade novel written by two queer authors who have both written several queer novels on their own!!

this book was so wholesome. i loved the diversity in both expression of gender/sexuality and other components like race & religion! the friendships developed were amazing and realistic and so were the crushes!! (totally felt abigail crushing on hot older women!)

my only issue with this book is the slightly weird pacing. there's random time skips that don't have seamless transitions, which can be annoying at times and easy to miss (especially if you're like me and your eyes tend to skim/wander a bit and you gotta reread). furthermore, this book is written in third person, and sometimes i had trouble remembering which pov i was reading when abigail and kai were in the same scene. however, it doesn't take away from the purpose and message of the story at all, and is more of a personal thing, so don't let that turn you away.

all in all, this is a book i really wish i had as a kid and i'm so happy young queer kids can have today!! i highly recommend :-)

thank you so much Algonquin Young Readers and Goodreads for the free copy!!

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imstephtacular's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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lettuce_read's review against another edition

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4.0

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pucksandpaperbacks's review against another edition

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I was sent a copy of this book by the publisher, Algonquin Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

CW: Mentions of minor transphobic comments, microagressions and hate crime, mention of injury, bullying, homophobia, menstruation scene and illusions to gender dysphoria.

Camp QUILTBAG by A.J. Sass and Nicole Melleby has something for everyone whether you’re like me and would prefer tye-dying t-shirts opposed to kayaking and roller derby or you like ballroom dance and trivia, this middle grade book needs to be on your TBR.

Kai (e/em/eirs) and Abigail (she/her/hers) are new campers at Camp QUILTBAG, a camp for queer and trans kids. Both kids are at camp for different reasons. Abigail wants to meet kids like her (she’s a lesbian who loves Jurassic Park, Laura Dern especially) after her friends at her Catholic school tease and shut her out for having a crush on Stacey’s mom. And Kai would rather be at home with eir friends doing parkour.

Filled with queer and trans joy plus queer and trans kids getting into competitive rivalries and learning from their mistakes, this book truly has something for everyone. What I loved the most is how every kid is different. This book is such a great introduction into the queer and trans community for kids. As I was reading, I couldn’t help but think about how important this visibility is for kids to see neopronouns normalized and feel safe just like they would at camp.

I especially liked how it shows and tells kids you don’t have to know right away and each kid at the camp is accepting of the other and accepting of not knowing your label. Camp QUILTBAG is a safe space for LGBTQIAP+ kids and readers.

It’s a great escape but doesn’t shy away from having important conversations. One that resonated with me was Abigail talking about not feeling pride in her sexuality and feeling lonely and isolated since she doesn’t know anything about the LGBTQ+ community. But through her time at camp, that changes.

Highly recommend if you're in need of some hope, queer and trans joy and/or love books set at camp!

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