Maggie's finally ready to leave for her longed-for performing-arts camp, but her parents have made other plans: she's going to Camp Sylvania, a "wellness" (i.e., fat) camp. Maggie is furious, of course, but thankfully, her bunkmates are fantastic and she gets the lead in the camp production of The Music Man opposite her crush. But the counselors have some strange rules (they can't enter cabins unless they're invited in), campers start going missing, and there's an unusually alluring blood bank near the cafeteria. Yes, it's vampires, and Maggie and her friends must save the day! While the vampire plot drives the story, Maggie's personal growth absolutely steals the show: instead of any weight-based bullying, Murphy focuses on the cheerworthy solidarity Maggie feels with her fellow campers, especially when they work together to push back against some of the camp's more fatphobic practices, like public weigh-ins and banning the word fat. Readers of gentle horror will enjoy the eerier elements, and fans of contemporary middle-grade fiction will be delighted by Maggie's realization that she's perfect just the way she is.

A girl must survive not only fat camp, but the vampire who runs it.Despite Maggie's plan to spend the summer with her best friend at Camp Rising Star, where she'll hopefully get over her persistent stage fright, her parents instead ship her off to Camp Sylvania so she'll finally lose her "baby fat." Though feeling betrayed, Maggie, who is White, starts to think spending afternoons on the lake might not be so bad, especially as she gets to know her bunkmates and decides to try out for the camp musical. But between the odd diet of mostly red foods, lack of technology, and mean and creepy counselors, the only place the campers truly feel comfortable is in the air-conditioned blood bank (regular donations are mandatory). When her co-star's brother goes missing along with several other campers, Maggie and her bunkmates begin an investigation into the gruesome truth at the heart of the camp. Murphy renders her camp of fat characters with nuance, giving them unique personalities beyond their size and often pointing out how others' judgments ignore their full humanity and undermine their confidence. Jokes and sweet interactions round out the story, while hints at the camp's monstrous nature create a spooky atmosphere. A continuing focus on the musical in the latter half stunts the story's growing stakes but gives Maggie the chance to fully seize her moment in the spotlight.A fun and spooky celebration of fat kids and friendship. (Fiction. 9-13)

Gr 4–7 —Fifth grade is over, and this is the summer Maggie and her best friend, Nora, have been waiting for. Finally, it's time to go to Camp Rising Star, where Maggie hopes to get over her stage fright and perform in the camp musical. Maggie's parents spring different plans on her and insist she go to Camp Sylvania, a fat camp founded by the famous Sylvia Sylvania, with whom Maggie's mom attended fat camp as a girl. At Camp Sylvania, Maggie and her bunkmates become fast friends, and there's even a theater production to look forward to. However, things quickly become weird with a diet of strictly red foods, daily required blood donations, and creepy, mean counselors. When campers begin disappearing, and ghostly and vampiric appearances start happening, Maggie and her friends must stop the sinister plan. As the story unfolds, difficult topics of family acceptance and friendship issues are explored fully and satisfactorily. Murphy ( Puddin' , Dumplin' ) has created characters who experience all the usual tween feelings, from first crushes to confidence issues, with tenacity and determination. VERDICT Readers looking for a slightly spooky, fast-paced adventure with fully developed characters will delve into this one.—Michele Shaw