Member Reviews

Thank you Oni Press and NetGalley for this free digital copy of Secrets of Camp Whatever Vol 1.
It was a great read with incredible artistry, graphics, and the adventurous storyline. I also loved the diversity of the characters. It definitely gave off Lumberjane vibes and I’m here for it.

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Thank you to Oni Press and NetGalley for my digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a great story and a great lesson in don't judge a book by it's cover. Our main character Willow has moved to the town of Nowhere with her family. Her parents decided she would go to Camp Whatever for a week, which happens to be the camp her father went to as a child. She is annoyed and frustrated as any 11 eleven year old would be to be forced to do something she wants nothing to do with, Everything about Camp Whatever screams weird and she quickly goes on a mission to discover the islands secrets. She is joined by a colorful cast of campers/friends. I loved this graphic novel and look forward to Volume 2.

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This book was so much fun! The art style was absolutely gorgeous and the plot was such fun. It gave a bit of a Lumberjanes vibe but less gay (sadly). I am so looking forward to more from this story. I can't wait to see what other creatures and characters Willow and her friends meet next!

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Huge thank you to Oni Press and NetGalley for providing a review copy.

The cover and the art is pretty great throughout the series. This is a fully colored book which is always impresive to me, as that requires a lot of work and patience. The only thing that stood out to me is that we had quite a few old characters and most of them managed to have a character design that gave me the creeps, I do not know if this was intentional or not. The story managed to keep up the intrigue for the first half and it was fun trying to guess what was going on. I even felt a bit creeped out a few times.

We meet a family on their way to their new house, in the town where the Dad grew up. We learn that while the rest of the family will be busy moving in to the house, the older kid Willow will be off to a local summer camp. On their way they stop at a diner and the locals scare the kids by telling them that there are rumors about the summer camp: supernatural beings and cryptids are rumored to roam free around the island and a few years ago a camper even went missing. Despite this and the fact that the camp organizers seem shady as hell the parents still send their only daughter to camp. Willow is a spunky kid who has no problems antagonizing the bullies and almost getting in a fistfight even before they reach camp. The story follows Willow and her bunkmates as they uncover the secrets of camp and the mystery regarding the missing camper all those years ago.

Willow is also a representation for kids who need to wear hearing aids. There was a brief part where her batteries died and the comic highlighted this by the conversation balloons appearing blank and the kids using sign language with her. It was a really awesome and creative way to express her situation.

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So good! Could not put it down. Loved how it was a short read but really made an impact. The characters were all very engaging and delightful and the art was simple yet effective. I love stylized work like this in sequential art so i knew i was gonna enjoy this

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What a great book for kids to read. The novel starts off creepy and forbidding. Willow is being sent off to camp where campers have gone missing in the past and monsters are said to live in the forest. Willow has a hard time adjusting to camp, but quickly starts to make friends and delves into the mysteries that are hidden at camp.

I'm excited for volume two and can't wait for more.

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3.5 stars

A soft version of Eerie Indiana.

Willow family moves to "Nowhere", and the first thing they do ,before to go the house, is drop the daughter into the camp "Whatever" for a week. The camp is situated in an island surrounded by a creepy fog, with suspicious stories about monsters and missing people. Yeah, the perfect place for your beloved children! Willow use hearing aid and she is able to use sign language.

The principal is weird and rude, and the children are noisy and mostly up for the ride. Except Willow. But soon they found that the tales are not so unfounded.

Personally, I think they even exaggerated with the amount of the amount of supernatural .
Though the friendship is nice, and the minor mystery.

So, the truth is that I would like to read the next volume.

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This was such a perfect middle-grade graphic! I loved how inventive the story was and with all the different creatures! I think it was the perfect length and the art style was super bright and easy to see. The dialogue was clear and the story was easy to follow from start to finish. I would love to read more in the series in the future!

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I really enjoyed this graphic novel - it was quirky, and a lot of fun to read. The characters were interesting and I thought it was a fun story. Will definitely look out for more from Chris Grine and this story.

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Secrets of Camp Whatever is a fantasy, spooky summer camp comic book aimed at middle schooler. It’s cute fun, very magical and just a hint scary enough to keep pre-teens tense but not terrified.

I really liked the fact the main character was deaf, this is not . Willow has purple hair, a defensive attitude, but also lots of enthusiasm and hearing aids. She’s got that reckless personality that drives parents crazy and that kids love. She is always the first to action, the first to make her own theories and the first to talk back which leads her both to bad conclusions and bad run-ins but also very interesting discoveries, easy friendships and lots of adventure. Some might be a little put off by some of the aggression of Willow (in two occasions she’s much too swift and attacks 2 boys), but I feel that it makes sense with her characters and her outbursts are proven to be wrong, which kids will no doubt pick up on. In any case all the characters have their own personality and we can feel there is more revelations about them to be peppered in the following volumes.

The drawing style is perfect for that age group, vivid colours, clear outlines and characters with very defined traits, there is no mistaking anyone with another person. Overall the pictures are very cute, even the ones of more scary creatures. There is a couple of villagers on the first few pages that I had reserves about, but the rest of the story is almost perfect. The bad guy is immediately identifiable as such and his front teeth are ridiculous, but the convention didn’t bother me too much.

There is a number of conventions that adults know and are a little tired off in there, but that’s really not a problem for young readers. There is also a little toilet humour which I’m not too much of a fan of, but it is to be expected. The universe is promising, the book of creatures given to the hero is a classic tool of exploration and invitation to study, and actually some of the magical creatures encountered are not so common, and that I liked.

I recommend this book to the pre-teen crowd, particularly the one fond of magic. With its large cast of female characters I think it will be more catered to girls. If they like the Disney Witch series I am sure they will love this one too. The Secrets of Camp Whatever is less girly and more action driven but the characters are really lovable.

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A children's comic filled with mystery and mythical creatures based at a creepy but cute camp? Sign me up!

I think this is perfect for children just on the edge of their teenage years and adults too, it's full of wit and sarcasm, its fun and light hearted and shows adults are sometimes wrong, a little for old fashioned and that they don't always get it right (what teen wouldn't love that?). And the main character has hearing aids, WITHOUT IT BEING THE PLOT, or an inspirational plot device about overcoming disadvantages, honestly, it was treated like it was just normal - and that's the kind of representation that we need more of, so round of applause for Chris Grine because this is truly rare.

The graphics are cute and spooky, two things you wouldn't think would be possible to achieve together, but here it is, proof that it can be done.

The only thing I had an issue with is the dream catcher craft scene - cultural appropriation. BUT, it does seem like a classic camp craft that I imagine still happens, and again, although one child hopes for this, its adults that chose to do this in the story; maybe this could be used as an educational device for adults and get people talking about why this is not okay.

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This was ok, not bad. I loved the representation of a hard of hearing character where her hearing isn't the primary issue of the book and I'll say, is barely even relevant. That's the type of depiction of different abilities and disabilities that I think we need. Otherwise, eh. I thought some of the humor was crass or juvenile even for the intended audience. I didn't understand some of the character design, and a lot of the world-building fell flat for me.

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I don't know what it is about summer camp that gets people so excited, because real ones are never as fun as ones like Camp... Whatever. Still I like how this presents itself like a traditional comedy. First things first, it starts kind of gloomy to outright scary. Besides a stubborn kid who hates the fact they're moving, people creep into a town with some likely nasty secrets. A kid at the summer camp disappears and we've got weird and obnoxious camp staff. But then as things develop the scariness subsides to something lighthearted as the larger than life stuff turns out to be pretty friendly. It's the human aspects that can get nasty. Pretty typical plot but one that creatively uses different techniques to set itself apart.

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Thank you NetGalley.

3.5 stars

The story follows Willow and her new friends at a weird camp. There, they start to notice that some snacks and some campers are disappearing and they go to the forest to find out what happened to them. What they found will change their lives forever.

This is a fun middle grade graphic novel perfect for readers 12+ (because of blood). It has friendship, adventures, magic and paranormal creatures. I enjoyed reading this and found myself laughing at some scenes. I loved the big foot, he's so adorable.

I really liked that the author decided to create a deaf main female character, it's important, especially in children's books, to have diversity in all of its forms.

This is a perfecto book for Halloween. I can´t wait to read Vol. 2!

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This is such a gorgeous comic and really suitable for all ages. It is primarily aimed at children but I read it and thoroughly enjoyed it even though I am way past childhood. A good graphic novel is a good graphic novel and this one is both engaging and excellent.

Eleven year-old Willow is packed off to summer camp even though she doesn't want to go. She would much rather help her parents move into their new house in the weirdly named town of Nowhere. As she later finds out, it is not only the town that is weird, the camp is also weird and eerie with shadows that seem to come alive, missing snacks, odd camp staff and missing children.

Undeterred Willow decides to get stuck in, make friends at camp and make the best of it. Soon, she and her friends are busy investigating the weird camp and the staff. Willow is suddenly aware that this camp is both strange and magical, and she wants to get to the bottom of things and so they have some adventures!

I loved this story. I really liked the way it was inclusive. Willow is partially hearing but she doesn't let this stop her from participating. She cringes at some of the attitudes of the camp leaders but she is welcomed by others and she can stand her ground with the best of them. As the children team up and investigate we get to see what it means to make friends and to be different, but still include others. We also get to see how to be courageous and stand for what is right and protect and help others.
This graphic novel manages to do all these things in a way that is subtle, allowing the reader to draw conclusions for themselves.

The artwork is lovely with clear drawings and great colouring. It is the kind of graphic novel that children and adults will read again and again. This is a lovely read. I was pleased to notice that this is only volume one and I am definitely looking forward to reading more about Willow, her friends and the mystery of the town of Nowhere!

Copy provided by Oni Press via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

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Welcome to Camp...Whatever, where there's definitely no werewolves, vampires, goblins, gnomes, sasquatches, witches, mermaids, unicorns, or, uhh, anything else of a supernatural and/or paranormal nature!

This first volume in a new comic series from Chris Grine is a fun, goofy, and irreverent take on summer camp and classic monster/horror tropes. Willow isn't looking forward to spending a week at the weird summer camp her dad went to as a kid, but while she may have been expecting seven days of boredom in the woods, she turns out to be totally wrong. Along with friends Violet, Emma, Molly, and other fellow campers, Willow begins exploring the weird, definitely not monster-riddled island that houses Camp...Whatever, and digging into its secrets, only to discover there's far more going on here than she could possibly have predicted.

The story is tightly told, over-the-top in the best way, and definitely geared for a middle grade audience, while the characters are appealing and fun. The artwork is solid as well, with evocatively bright or spooky panels as the case warrants, expressive characters, and always clear, clever storytelling, with a few particularly notable panels like a certain flying rescue squad. All in all, it's a fun start to a new story and a wild world!

Thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for the advance review copy!

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I found this very enjoyable once the action started. It is a little long for a middle grade, or at least I felt that the beginning was a little slow. It takes over 100 pages before the characters really start interacting with supernatural elements. I could see some younger readings losing interest before that.

The artwork is great with unique character designs, especially for the adult characters. It is full color, which I appreciate since the monochromic thing seems to be all the rage now.

Overall, a fun read that I would recommend to a middle school student and will definitely be reading the next volumes.

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Full of whimsy and adventure and simply a good ol' fun time, this graphic novel is a newfound favourite for young and experienced readers alike. Reminiscent of LUMBERJANES and GRAVITY FALLS, it is a fantastic read from start to finish.

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5 stars! I’m not even sure I can write a review that will give this graphic novel justice. This was one of my most enjoyable reads this year! It was so fun and creepy and mysterious and everything I love and more! The mythical and mystical creatures hold such a dear place in my heart! I want to go to Camp Whatever! I honestly cannot describe how much fun I had reading this!

Secrets of Camp Whatever follows Willow as she embarks on her first summer at Camp Whatever. It is situated on an island full of mysterious creatures and legends and rumours where a boy even went missing one summer. This is such a cute and fun and spooky read and I packed full of imagination.

Firstly the idea of a summer camp on a creepy island full of mysterious creatures and mythical beings and legends?! What more could you ask for! This was spooky in a way where it made me feel slightly uncomfortable at times, but uncomfortable in a good way! Like the feeling you get when you’re young and watching Goosebumps for the first time. I managed to jump in a few parts which never happens when I’m reading, and it just added to the fact that I was completely pulled into this story. The pointy noses really creeped me out at first on some of the characters, they reminded me of the Child Catcher and they really made me feel all shivery, but it was so great to experience and feel so many emotions.

The main group of characters are fabulous and memorable and play off of each other extremely well! It’s quite a diverse group, which becomes more apparent as the story develops. Willow is a kick butt, go get em kind of girl and I would definitely have wanted to be her friend as she seemed pretty fearless! I also really appreciated the representation of a deaf character as I feel deaf characters are rather under-represented. What I loved about Willow is that she refused to let the fact that she is deaf hold her back, or let anyone else think she was any less because of it. There are a couple of encounters where she is treated in a way which she doesn’t need to be treated which were rather uncomfortable, but including this probably brings to light experiences that some deaf people experience in their daily lives. However we see Willow as not defined purely by her hearing ability, and instead we continue to see her for who she truly is: adventurous, curious and pretty darn fearless. It was also great to see sign language being used, and the way it was core to some of the plot was really awesome!

The creatures! Oh my word, I am so in love with this whole concept! Of an island where they have all been placed once discovered and now live here. They all live together and try and keep themselves secret as they just want to live their lives undisturbed for the most part. The sheer knowledge of knowing what this island could hold just explodes my imagination and I really hope we get to explore more of it!
The villain was definitely villainous, especially when juxtaposed with who you would typically describe as “monsters”. It really makes you think about who the real monsters are in this world and how you can’t always judge a book by its cover.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book, I immensely enjoyed it. I honestly don’t think my review can give it justice as it was absolute perfection, filled with everything I love and could wish for in a book and I am just overjoyed that I had the experience of reading this! I will definitely be purchasing it!

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Chris Grine crafts a visual adventure that has image, action, and humor. There’s a ton packed in here for young readers to enjoy and engage with.

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