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Prolific children’s writer Patricia Reilly Giff continues the story of the Zigzag Kids, a group of 2nd-grade friends who attend their school’s afterschool care program. A diverse group of children, the Zigzag kids all have their own fun, unique personalities, and the series need not be read in order.
In this book, the children are going on their first overnight sleepover in the woods. Mitchell is hesitant to go because he is afraid of wild animals, but his best friend Habib is going, and it is his birthday weekend. Can he overcome his fears and enjoy the trip?
Giff does an excellent job of creating a setting and characters that children can connect to. A child’s first camping sleepover is always exciting and can be kind of scary. The activities on the trip include many typical camp activities–a scavenger hunt, working with partners, camp cooking, etc. Mitchell’s thoughts and fears are very real, and the way he overcomes them with the help of his friends is sometimes amusing and always entertaining.
The plot itself is straightforward, even a little dull. The narration and dialog reflects the mind of a 2nd-grader with distracted thoughts, imagined fears and worries about his birthday and the trip. This is a good choice for readers who have enjoyed books in the Zigzag Kids series or the Kids of Polk Street School series.
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Zigzag Kids #5: Bears Beware