Chunky Goes to Camp

Mercado, Yehudi. Chunky Goes to Camp (Chunky #2)
June 14, 2022 by Katherine Tegen Books

Library copy

Hudi, who struggled with a variety of sports at the behest of his father in Chunky, has gotten into a lot of trouble at school with the assistant principal, Mr. Hyatt. Always one to try to make people laugh, Hudi is on all the teachers' radars and starts getting in trouble for inoffensive things, like drawing cartoons that make Mr. Hyatt accuse him of being in a Mexican gang. His parents warn him that he needs to watch himself, but he doesn't quite get it. At the end of the year, they don't feel that he can be trusted at home during the summer while they are working, so give him the choice between a sports camp and one for Jewish kids. He picks Camp Green as the lesser of two evils, especially since he knows some kids who attend. The bus ride in is tough, and he's super sad about misses all of the new movie releases in the theaters (which puts this firmly in the summer of 1986, since Ferris Buehler's Day Off is one of the titles to which he is looking forward), and he has concerns about the preppy Joshes. His cabin mates seem cool, though, and he makes friends with Pepe, another Mexican American Jewish kid who likes to tell jokes; their similarities explain why Pepe can also see Chunky. There are typical camp shenanigans, and characters like a suspicious looking maintenance man, but Hudi manages to have a decent time at camp. 

Strengths: Graphic novel memoirs are a good way to show different points of time, and the experiences of authors and illustrators. I'm a big fan of Tattuli's Short and Skinny and Copeland's Cub, since the pictures make these books more appealing to young readers who might not otherwise want to read historical fiction. The summer camp experience is something kids like to read about even if they don't get to experience it. It's an interesting time to reinvent oneself, and since Hudi's experiences in the first book centered about self identity, this is a perfect chance for him to try other versions of himself. It's also fun that he meets Pepe, who has such a similar background, and there's even a note from the REAL Pepe at the back of the book. A humorous and entertaining read. 
Weaknesses: Still not a huge fan of Chunky, especially since he has such a small role in this book. He is a little more interesting when Pepe can also see him. 
What I really think: The first book has been really popular with my students, so I suspect this second book will be as well. I was surprised to see a picture of Mercado as a tween at the back of the book; he didn't really look very overweight, so the illustrations with the protruding tummy don't seem true-to-life!