From the Publisher
"During a stormy night at Camp Dakota, the young campers learn about sound and thunderstorms. When Braelin and Megan wander away from everyone else at the lake shore and take shelter from more rain, they hear ghostly sounds, but are they hearing ghosts or something else? While readers might pick up this entry in the Summer Camp Science Mysteries series for the fun story and Torres' appealing artwork, they'll also learn quite a bit about sound and might be inspired to try some of the easy experiments at the back of the book." —Booklist Online
Children's Literature - Toni Jourdan
A perfect combination of graphic novel, ghost story, and science class. Meet the campers at Camp Dakota. A group of curious kids enjoying summer camp with all the fun that camp life entails. What's a night at camp without eerie sounds, hoots of an owl and spooked kids? Well, you will not be disappointed when faced with the fears brought forward by the unknown. Thunder, lightning, unexplained noises and getting lost in the woods, the campers at Camp Dakota resort to the facts of science to explain and save them from what could be spine tingling experiences. They even use a little science know how and an old Indian folk tale to devise a cool crafty musical instrument. Intermingled amidst the graphic brightly colored storyboards are science facts highlighted in indigo for quick reference and maximum learn-ability. Prepare to have your interests peeked throughout the campers summer experiences. Highlights include the two experiments explained for the reader to try out on their own. All the science fun is linked together through the mystery of sound. There is also a glossary of mysterious words explained. Plus, a cool fact about bats and how they produce a sound wave too high for us humans to hear and this sound is sometimes made through their nose! Did you know that air pressure is the force placed on a surface? There is even a challenge asking you if you could have solved the lakes mysteries. This amps up the reading of the story allowing the reader to join in while questioning facts about the world of sound. I suggest you get your thinking cap on and grab your safety goggles because science is about to take you on a mystery filled adventure. Reviewer: Toni Jourdan
Kirkus Reviews
The latest graphic Summer Camp Science Mystery fills readers in on the ups and downs of acoustics--but not without sounding some sour notes. A pair of thunderstorms provide opportunities for camp counselors to explain the rule of thumb for approximating lightning's distance and to reveal the cause of mysterious murmurs heard down by the lake. (They aren't ghosts but noises carrying across from another camp on the opposite shore.) In between, young campers see how an umbrella can be turned into an amplifier for an old cassette recorder, encounter bats, learn how a sonar fish finder works and make cardboard-tube flutes as another counselor tells an unsourced (Lakota, she claims) legend about the instrument's invention. Also, in what amounts to a direct tutorial in risky behavior, two children linger at the water's edge as the second storm rolls in, then flee into the woods in panic until they are lost and plunge blindly into a dark cave for shelter. They are quickly rescued, and a weak joke leaves everyone laughing. Interspersed with explanatory glosses, Torres' dispensable panels depict bug-eyed figures looking over one another's shoulders and pointing. A weak outing in a worthy series, with camp safety plainly playing second fiddle to science instruction. (glossary, recap, experiments) (Graphic fiction/nonfiction hybrid. 8-10)
