Camp Club Girls: Sydney's D.C. Discovery

Sydney's D.C. Discovery is the second book in Barbour Publishing's Camp Club Girls series. Sydney and five other girls shared a cabin at summer camp and became great friends. When Elizabeth's Vietnam Veteran uncle heads to Washington for a reunion, he brings Elizabeth along to visit Sydney. When Sydney and Elizabeth overhear two suspicious strangers at the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, they become involved in a mystery with huge ramifications.

The book contains all the classic elements of mystery--clues, red herrings, interesting twists, and creative sleuthing, along with a happy ending. It also is centered around Joshua 1:9, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." The girls keep in contact with the other Camp Club girls via web cam and instant messaging, and together they come up with a plan to track the suspicious men. Soon they learn a plot to assassinate the president is underway, and Sydney and Elizabeth must prevent it.

Saving the president takes the girls all over Washington D.C., and we learn about important monuments and the Vietnam War along the way. At the last minute, Elizabeth and Sydney capture the criminals in an old jail at Fort McHenry, and Sydney bravely runs a bomb into the harbor and saves the president from being blown up during the firework display.

What I Like: I like the girls in this fun series. They are honest, real girls who sometimes have questions about God but are sold out anyhow. They have different personality quirks, interests and family situations, but they are all girls you would want your daughter to be friends with.

I also love how central Scripture is to these girls. They base their lives on it, and Bible verses inform their decisions and feelings. Even though Elizabeth is sad and angry because her uncle was paralyzed in the war, she still loves Jesus and tries to think of Bible verses to help her. She remembers Psalm 37:8, "Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret--it leads only to evil." This provides a great model for young girls reading the books.

The mystery is also very well written. It is interesting and original, and I had fun trying to figure it out and learning about Washington D.C.

What I Dislike: At the end, Sydney outruns Secret Service agents, not once, but twice. This didn't seem very realistic to me, in an otherwise realistic book. However, it did add excitement and prove her heroism.

Overall Rating: Excellent

Age Appeal: 8-12

Publisher Info: Barbour Publishing, 2010; ISBN: 978-1-60260-268-7; Paperback, $5.97

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