Be Prepared

A bad (well, mostly bad) month in Vera Brosgol's own childhood turns out to be the perfect source for a smart, subtle, and entertaining graphic novel that anyone thrown into a new situation will appreciate. Sent off to a Russian-culture summer camp in the Connecticut woods, little Vera learns the history of Russian suffering and does some of it herself, at the hands of mean campers, biting chipmunks, and a disgusting latrine called "Hollywood." In just a month, she's unpopular, popular, and then unpopular again, feels lonely and proud, sad and independent, and finally makes a real friend. In other words: camp. It's beautifully done. (Ages 7 to 12)