The Book to Read Before You Go to Summer Camp

It’s June and so many parents and kids are thinking about summer camp. If this includes you, get motivated by reading Koolura and the Mystery at Camp Saddleback. (It’s the second book in the Koolura Series, but no worries. You don’t have to read book 1 because the stories are independent of each other.) 

I got the idea for the book when my wife, Jila, and I visited our daughter while she was a student at the University of California at Santa Barbara. On one visit, Koren prepared a picnic lunch and we set off for the Santa Ynez Mountains. She had discovered Lake Cachuma with some friends and wanted Jila and I to experience its beauty. While there, we took plenty of pictures, and when we got hungry, we found a park bench and enjoyed Koren’s tuna sandwiches. 

During our wanderings that day, we came upon a sleep-away-camp, Camp Whittier. As soon as I had laid eyes on the place, I got an epiphany. What if Koolura spent a summer at this camp, and to add tension to the plot, she mysteriously loses her powers as her camp group is threatened by an inscrutable interloper? 

In the novel, I picked characters my readers could relate to. Linda, an antagonist in the first book, joined Koolura at camp. They had a wise college-age counselor, Sarah, who was studying to become a teacher for the Deaf and her African-American CIT, Queen. Other characters included a cute CIT, Jake, who Koolura really likes, a strange red-headed girl from Rhode Island, and a deaf girl, Leila, from San Francisco. Koolura’s camp group was the Chumash Girls, using the name of the Native American people living in that area. 

Here’s what the book is about: In book 1 The Legend of Koolura, we learn that Koolura has the ability to teleport, levitate, heal, and even fly. But at Camp Saddleback she wakes up drained and powerless. Who or what has stolen her psychic powers? 

As Koolura searches for the truth about her power loss, she and the Chumash Girls must deal with pranksters ruining their cabin and destroying their summer. Campers plan revenge but problems escalate as lives are threatened. Will Koolura and the Chumash Girls solve the mystery at Camp Saddleback? 

Here’s what some reviewers had to say about Koolura and the Mystery at Camp Saddleback: 

Amazon reviewer Gail H, a kid lit author said, “Not being a supernatural fan, I found myself enjoying the first Koolura book. However, this one I loved!! Summer camp stories need the good, the bad, and the ugly to work, and Camp Saddleback had it all. The supernatural powers fit seamlessly, and the characters were kids we cared about, which is all you need to not want to put the book down. This was a really rich story, so go off to camp, and see how this mystery unfolds!

Amazon reader, Penny Estelle, gave this 5-star review:

I had read Mr. Thal’s first story, The Legend of Koolura, and was anxious to see if the second in the series would measure up. Mr. Thal did not disappoint!

This is a delightful story of Koolura and her stay at a six-week summer camp. She and her new friends are plagued with pranks from the nearby boys’ camp, but it’s all fun and games until the pranks turn potentially deadly.

Koolura, even with the use of her special powers, finds herself in danger when she…..

NOPE – You will have to read this wonderful story that both you and your children will love! Adventure right from the get-go leaves you wanting more, not to mention there is a strong message in this story that all ages should know!

Summer sleep-away camp teachers kids independence and gives them space to learn about themselves without having their parents around. But before they go, have them read Koolura and the Mystery at Camp Saddleback to prep them for the time of their lives. 

Michael Thal is the author of Koolura and the Mayans, book 3 in the Koolura Series.