Campout: Classified

It's been a rough year for Charlotte, 13, and Singer, 12. Their parents separated, a global pandemic hit, and schools shut down. Boredom—either at Mom's place or Dad's—looms. Until they stumble across a cave in the woods, and, inspired by his literary heroes, Singer comes up with a plan. No one has actually said they can't have their own adventures, and so… Charlotte agrees. After remote school each day, the intrepid explorers—in disguise, of course—take off for parts nearby. Which are more full of surprises than they had ever imagined. Even without "normal" school, they learn plenty—about independence, about family, and about themselves.

Part summer adventure story and part life lesson, Campout: Classified is realistic fiction for children. In the vein of classics like Hatchet, My Side of the Mountain, and just a touch of From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, adolescent heroes Charlotte and Singer face off with nature and with their own internal obstacles.