Teamwork at Camp Tioga

Jonathan’s the only hearing-impaired camper we have this year. We always plan to have at least two deaf children, but the other deaf boy who wanted to come had to have his tonsils out last week. Jonathan’s parents decided to send Jonathan anyway. They told me he’s used to being alone. He’s only eight, he hates girls, and I hear he’s a rascal.”

Book: Teamwork at Camp Tioga (Keystone Stables, No. 4) by Marsha Hubler, Zonderkidz, 2005

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Target Audience: Girls 14-19
Subject: Adoption
Summary: “Master of Disaster” seems to be a slightly better term for this little boy than just “rascal”. If he’s not causing his horse to take off because he’s determined to ride English style on a Western trained horse, he’s throwing firecrackers into the campfire or he’s running away and disappearing or he’s starting a food fight. And this delightful little boy is all Skye’s responsibility! She’s the one who connected with him, who he occasionally listens to and she’s one of the few people on site who knows sign language. If Jonathan wasn’t enough trouble, there’s Chad – the boy Skye really likes. All of a sudden, Skye isn’t the only girl who likes him and she’s no longer sure Chad likes her as much as he likes this new girl!
Notes: In this story, Skye is the one turning around and serving someone else. She’s a Christian and no longer the troubled orphan who came to the Chambers foster program. She and her friends go to work at a camp for special needs kids over the summer. Skye has to learn how to keep loving when someone continually rejects your love and continually disobeys what you tell them to do. Basically, she has to show the same love to a little kid that the Chambers showed to her. But it’s not an easy lesson. The book shows just how hard it is to keep going when you feel you aren’t making a difference. It also covers the issue of teen crushes. Skye is only thirteen so when she sees someone else making a move towards the boy she is not dating, but wants to date someday she struggles greatly with jealousy. In the end she has to learn to not throw away a friendship for a supposed reason for jealousy. And she is challenged multiple times by her sister to not lose focus. She’s not supposed to be here for boys, she’s supposed to be here to serve. The spiritual issues are very much covered in this book as with the others in the series. This is the fourth book in the Keystone Stables series.
Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5
Reviewer: J:-)mi

Galatians 5:13 – You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.