Chris Grine

Eleven year-old Willow doesn't want to go to her dad's weird old summer camp any more than she wants her family to move to the weird old town where that camp is located. But her family—and fate itself—seem to have plans of their own. Soon Willow finds herself neck-deep in a confounding mystery involving stolen snacks, suspected vampires, and missing campers, all shrouded in the sinister fog that hides a generation of secrets at Camp ... Whatever it's called.

Secrets of Camp Whatever Vol. 1

Nessa Luna

Thank you NetGalley and Oni Press for the review copy.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel, it kind of reminded me a bit of Lumberjanes but for kids (I mean I guess Lumberjanes is a YA comic, right?). I loved the characters and I really enjoyed the storyline. Definitely recommend it if you love slightly spooky stories and as I've said before, especially if you enjoyed the Lumberjanes comics. 

Will be looking forward to any sequels coming out, but I guess that won't be for a while, as this one won't come out until somewhere this month!

Frida Kahlo

I received an eARC copy in exchange for an honest review from Oni Press via NetGalley.

Welcome to the town of Nowhere with its Camp Whatever, where strange things happen, where nothing is what it seems to be, and where mythical creatures live in the dense fog. 

Our lovely main character here is Willow and is moving with her family to a big ol' house in Nowhere. She would spend some quality time (or not?) in a nearby summer camp her father used to have fun in, called Whatever. From the moment she arrives in the camp, along with the other kids, strange things start happening - the candies disappear; one of the campers gets sent back home, but he never reaches it; the camp's chef is gone missing too.

Strange things enveloped in fog are taking place with every step Willow makes, as she and her friends decide to investigate the camp and see how real the stories they heard about it and the island are. Determined, brave, and quick-witted, and with a dash of help from Mr Elric and Miss Mim, Willow and her friends manage to find out the truth about this place. 

The mythical and mystical creatures, the secluded island where mysteries happen, and all the spooky stories and legends are what I liked the most while reading this graphic novel. And if you are a little bit like me, you will most certainly enjoy reading this volume too!

I would also like to say a few things about the artwork. The illustrations are perfect; I think its style portrays the characters, the plot, and the overall action very well. I loved Molly's face of betrayal and guilt, but also her facial expression when she decided she needs to help her friends. 

A Side Note: I am super excited about this "Volume 1" in the title. Waiting for Volume 2 to see what new mysteries and adventures the town of Nowhere has for Willow and her friends!

Lucía RG

** spoiler alert **
           Secrets of Camp Whatever is a really cute story about a group of kids that attend a rather creepy summer camp in a mysterious island. Going into this I didn’t know if it had paranormal elements or not, but there are many creatures such as gnomes, the chickharnees (what?) or bigfoot (he was so cute), among others, that made the story very interesting. 

I really liked the girls and the friendship they form within the camp, I am eager to see the development and growth in the next volumes. The ambience is magical, and it creates the perfect atmosphere for a mystery camp. I also liked the representation of Wil’s hearing aids. I think representation is very important, especially for younger kids. 

The spooky vibes were very fun and the illustrations were very nice too. They all have such cute round noses. I would have enjoyed this so much in middle grade. I can’t wait to read more of their adventures. On a separate note, if the author were to release a part 2 with the parents unpacking and getting the new house ready, I would read it so quickly.

Samantha Seeman

Yeah this wasn’t my favorite. It was kind of a jumbled mess. Half the time I felt like it was missing pages or something because subjects changed so haphazardly. The concept? Big yes. The execution? Not the greatest. Gotta love poop jokes though!

Brittany Mitchell

Thank you to Oni Press and NetGalley for my digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a great story and a great lesson in don't judge a book by it's cover. Our main character Willow has moved to the town of Nowhere with her family. Her parents decided she would go to Camp Whatever for a week, which happens to be the camp her father went to as a child. She is annoyed and frustrated as any 11 eleven year old would be to be forced to do something she wants nothing to do with, Everything about Camp Whatever screams weird and she quickly goes on a mission to discover the islands secrets. She is joined by a colorful cast of campers/friends. I loved this graphic novel and look forward to Volume 2.

Brianna Brown

Thank you to NetGalley and the author/publisher for a chance to read this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review!

Okay this one was super cute. The art style was beautifully done, it was fast paced and funny, and can we take a moment to appreciate the diversity? 

We follow Willow as she is on her way to a week at Camp.... Whatever for the first time, as the camps first deaf camper. New to the town and not so excited, partially due to the stories her dad shared of his time at the camp, she reluctantly tries to make the best of it and what follows is a week full of funny, fantastical and suspenseful adventures. 

I'd love to see more stories set in this world, this was a super fun read.

Ethel

A fun wintery read full of monsters and children

Key words: monsters, fiction, fantasy, middle-grade, mystery, disability

What a scary camp it was at first. This graphic novel takes you on an island full of monsters and scary stuff that, according to the director, could get you and hurt you. The story was very entertaining; I started the book and didn’t stop until the end even though it was quite a lot of pages for a graphic novel. Willow is not always very likeable (she jumps a bit too quickly to conclusion) but she is an interesting character. She is deaf and I liked how the speech-bubbles were blank when she couldn’t hear the people talking. The others were quite nice and funny, always ready for an adventure in the woods. And the monsters… I loved the monsters; they were so cute. Moreover, I liked the artwork a lot: a bit cartoonish which made it very easy to look at and see everything with one glance. This book is the first volume of the series but there is not really a big suspense at the end, I think the second volume will just be about another adventure so don’t be afraid that this story has no ending. Overall, it was a very fun read that I would recommend to everyone, children as well as adults.

4/5

Thank you Netgalley for this eArc in echange of my honest opinion

Secrets of Camp Whatever Vol. 1

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