Riley feels like the smallest kid at sports camp. In fact, he is. He just turned eleven in April, but most kids here are twelve, and a few are even thirteen—and gigantic. It’s hard enough for a shrimp like Riley to fit in. He just doesn’t want to be the weak link as his bunk competes for the Camp Olympia Trophy.

Riley knows he’s no good at strength and accuracy games like basketball and softball. But when it comes to speed and endurance events, like running and swimming, he’s better than he looks. He’s pretty sure he can place in the top ten—and bring in major trophy points—in the final mile-long swim race across Lake Surprise. But he doesn’t count on being followed by the shadow of Big Joe, the giant vicious snapping turtle of camp lore. Wasn’t that supposed to be a legend?

You can buy Sports Camp and other books by Rich Wallace at your local bookstore, though a website for independent booksellers, via the Junior Library Guild, and through the usual big online sellers likeAmazon.

Read the reviews:

“At age eleven, Riley Liston is one of the youngest attendees of Camp Olympia, but he hopes that his passion for sports will get him through the two full weeks of softball, basketball, and water-polo competitions that await him. Featuring all of the pranks, legends, homesickness, and bad food that one would expect, camp is an experience Riley endures, then enjoys, pushing his own limits and getting to know his bunkmates. The focus here is solidly on sports, from the camp bulletins that highlight the day’s winners and losers at the opening of each chapter, to lots of play-by-play action from Riley’s perspective.”  — The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“The exciting, tightly written sports passages drive the story and will keep kids turning the pages.” —Booklist review

“Riley is a true sportsman, giving his all even in the sports in which he doesn’t excel. Soon he’s included in the shenanigans of his cabin mates, including the rivalries that extend outside of sport. … The author includes horrifying ghost stories and the menace of a legendary snapping turtle rumored to live in the camp’s lake.” – Kirkus Reviews