Alexis and the Sacramento Surprise (Camp Club Girls) Review

AUTHOR: Erica Rodgers
PUB DATE: March 2010
PAGES: 159
PUBLISHER: Barbour Books

ABOUT THE BOOK:
If dinosaurs are extinct, then why do they seem to come to
life each night? When Alexis’ friend, Miss Maria, tries to save her
business by importing mechanical dinosaurs to her nature park, Alexis and Kate
are instantly on the spot to show their support. But the Camp Club girls are
soon embroiled in surprises when they soon have to not only deal with mechanical
dinosaurs appearing to have minds of their own, but also the local media, which
also seems determined to destroy Miss Maria. Can the girls crack the case and
keep Miss Maria’s dreams—and business—alive?

MY THOUGHTS:

This is the fourth book in the Camp Club Girls series.

This is a series of middle grade books that I am really enjoying. I think they would make the perfect gift for middle grade girls who like a little bit of mystery without being scary. They are sort of like Nancy Drew books. Although I have to admit that I never really read alot of Nancy Drew books when I was younger as they never really interested me.

Alexis lives not very far from her friend, Miss Maria’s nature park called Aspen Heights Conservation Park. The nature park is getting set to close when funding is being denied to the park.

When Miss Maria comes up with the idea to bring in prehistoric dinosaurs (animatrons) to bring in some business it all seems like a good idea until it appears as though certain dinosaurs are moving around in the night.

Thankfully Kate is coming to visit with Alexis and she brings Kate to see the park. As the girls are walking around looking at the dinosaurs, nothing is out of the ordinary for them until they go back to the visitor center to talk to Miss Maria. When a local biology professor mentions that he loves the foot prints and that he loved where the raptor was placed. Maria looks concerned and admits to the girls that she didn’t move the raptor or make the foot prints. Maria goes off to check it out.

Before long everyone hears a scream. They all go running to Maria and find her flat on her back in the mud. She had climbed on top of the triceratops to get a better look at the foot prints.

With Maria starting to feel a little better she asks the girls to help find out who is moving the dinosaurs. The girls try various things such as setting up cameras, looking around and even camping out. The raptor keeps moving around the park. Can the dinosaur really come to life at night? Is someone moving it?

There never seems to any leads or evidence that a human is involved until the person starts to get a little sloppy and leaves clues. The girls are pretty sure they know who is involved but the person keeps denying it. Is he/she really involved or is it just coincidence? What will the girls think when they find out who is really behind it?

I am anxiously awaiting Kate’s Philadelphia Frenzy – Camp Club Girls #5 and Bailey’s Peoria Problem – Camp Club Girls #6 to come out May 1, 2010.

Special thanks to Angie Brillhart of Barbour Publishing, Inc. for sending me a review copy and for First Wild Card Tours for allowing me to be a part of this tour.