Shannon is angry. She’s been sent to church camp, despite that she no longer believes in God, and she refuses to speak to her best friend, her best friend’s mom, or her own parents. As readers move deeper into Camp Outlook, Shannon reveals what has brought her to this crisis of faith. We follow Shannon’s struggle with conflicting feelings of love and disappointment as she learns her new baby brother has serious special needs, and her determination of how to live with her new normal.
From the first pages of the book, readers who read a lot of realistic, problem-based fiction may assume they know how the story will resolve, but admirably, the text holds a few surprises. The narrative unfolds in two time scales that come together when Shannon has a mysterious, vision-like experience, the culmination of Six Bizarre Events, as she calls them. Some readers may find these mystical passages off-putting, but they add complexity to Shannon’s spiritual questioning.
For all of Shannon’s anger and doubt, though, this is a book about love. Shannon lives through a terrific crush, the object of which helps her understand her crisis of faith – and the crisis in her family. Shannon also comes to understand that there’s much more love in the world than she knew and that it’s her choice to experience it or not – a good lesson for any of us to learn or remember.
Without becoming preachy or heavy handed, Camp Outlook invites readers to think about their own attitudes and actions. For those who have family members with disabilities, there may be moments of recognition and validation; for those who don’t, there are numerous opportunities for reflection and self-evaluation. The book also involves themes of bullying and could be a useful resource in classroom and school libraries. Parents, teachers, and counsellors may find this a valuable title to recommend to a range of readers.
Thematic Links: Families, Special Needs; Bullying
Reviewed by Leslie Vermeer