Camille McPhee Fell Under the Bus

It is hard to find books written just for girls, so this was a nice surprise. Camille struggles through hilarious and often absurd adventures but in the end she survives and learns a good lesson at the end .... always get yourself back up. Perfect for the 9-13 year old.

Camille McPhee has a lot to deal with - the constant threat of low blood sugar, her health freak, home/self-improvement obsessed mom's mid-life crisis, best friend Sally Zook's relocation to Japan, science classes that are too advanced for fifth grade, and a pair of bullies responsible for her recent fall under the school bus. Thank goodness she has "great, thick, caramel brown, movie star hair" and a plan to fly under the radar like the brilliant dingo she saw at the zoo, 'cause Camille's life is about to get more hectic than she ever imagined. Kristen Tracy's CAMILLE MCPHEE FELL UNDER THE BUS... is a charming story featuring a sarcastic, spunky heroine dealing with the trials and tribulations facing many children today. While not specifically "issue oriented," the book addresses topics like the possibility of divorce, debt, the indifference of a self-centered teacher, alienation from one's peers, bullying, and death. Ms. Tracy shows Camille facing her problems head on with her own unique brand of grit, intelligence, and determination, making this book one for the keeper shelf. Reviewed by: Cat

I always give my friend's daughters some girl protaganist books for Christmas, and I checked this book out at the library as a "maybe". The girl on the cover looked a good bit fancier than the scrappy types I usually gravitate toward. Well, Camille McPhee is quirky and Heelarious. When she started doing her super powered scissor kick before getting out of bed to get her blood moving I was pretty much hooked. After reading a chapter and a half, I convinced my 10 year old son to listen to me read it out loud. He didn't want me to stop. I really would recommend this book to just about anybody. It's not a girly girl book at all, and although the writing is probably 4th or 5th grade level I would easily recommend it to my adult friends.

Camille has low blood sugar so she must carry food on her at al times; she fell under a school bus once, her cat has vanished, and her best friend has moved to Japan. Despite all the challenges Camille is hopeful and positive - even when her parents are fighting about money, and even when her own life is scary. A fine story of how Camille handles her life and its challenges will intrigue advanced elementary to middle school readers.