Sports Camp has everything twelve-year-old Greyson Gray needs to distract him from his father’s mysterious disappearance – intense athletic competition, weird friends, and a pretty girl.
But when Greyson stumbles upon a terrorist’s sinister plot brewing in the observatory, a place already haunted by a chilling camp legend, he suddenly toils with two dueling worlds – one of lurking danger and mystery, the other of competition and awkward romance. Spurred on by his father’s words to do what’s good no matter the danger, Greyson and his faithful friends must mount a daring and coordinated heist on the observatory in order to save thousands of lives.
This is the first in the Greyson Grey series. The fourth and final book in the series, Greyson Grey: Rubicon, is out now.
Greyson Grey is a kid in a red hat; a lonely child whose father is missing, and whose mother sends him along to a holiday camp to try to get him out of his shell. But he’s also a kid with a backbone, a firm set of morals and a taste for adventure…and a nose for trouble!
The first in the series is a mix of spy thriller, adventure rollercoaster, and a story about growing up, meeting girls and making friends. Greyson starts off uncertain about his camp-mates, and for good reason as they’re a mix of awkward, confident, bullies and – shock horror – girls. But as the sports progress and everyone gets to know each other, there’s awkward encounters, cringeworthy comments, posturing fights, winners and losers…
And some staff who aren’t entirely what they seem. There’s something more going on than just a holiday camp, and Greyson and his friends end up right in the middle of it.
The book is fast-paced and tense, but never feels hurried. The plot’s an exciting mix of camp games, fun and personalities, mixed with the tension of an overthrow-the-world plot. It’s amusing, too – there’s moments that everyone’s likely to recognise from their schooldays and spots events, and the strange world of meeting friends, enemies and girls is handled with a light touch and a lot of wit.
Greyson is a hero trying to do what’s right, despite the costs – although he’s often presented with several ‘right’ options! Does he focus on his friends or defeat an enemy? Break the rules for a greater good? The rest of the cast is good, and there’s nothing cliche’d. It’s nice to see the camp helpers explored too, as well as Greyson – having Brandon’s perspective on the frustrations and amusement of dealing with the kids is a good change of perspective. While the setting and plot are very US-centric, it doesn’t overpower the book.
The first book in the Greyson Grey series is a good one for young adults – although there is some violence it’s fairly clean, and the moral struggles of the hero are likely to resonate with those struggling to find their place in the world (and possibly wishing that they could heroically save it, too).
© Kate Coe, March 2017
Greyson Grey: Camp Legend by B.C.Tweedt
Published April 4th 2014
Review copy courtesy of the author
296 pages
