Mode

kid

parent

Chunky Goes to Camp

Ages

10+

It’s a prank war at Camp Green and Hudi is determined to win!  

Lucky for him, Pepe and Chunky are on his team. 

Ages 10+
Pages 208
Publisher HarperCollins
Coming Jun 2024

Average Rating

83 Reviews
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Yehudi “Hudi” Mercado was sent to detention so many times in school that his parents have decided he needs to spend the summer at sleepaway camp. He’s not sure how he’ll survive Jewish camp in the middle of the Texas desert, but things start to look up when he meets Pepe, another funny Latino Jew who can also see Hudi’s invisible best friend, Chunky.  

The Three Amigos (Hudi, Pepe, and Chunky) get into all sorts of hijinks, including a prank war against the three preppy Joshes. As the pranks escalate and the truth about Pepe’s background comes out, Hudi worries he might get labelled a troublemaker again and wonders if he can save his new friendship and salvage the summer.  

As the author notes, “If Chunky was about my journey as a middle grader finding my funny, then Chunky Goes to Camp is about finding my people.” This heartwarming sequel to PJ Our Way reader favority Chunky also works well as a stand-alone book. 

  • Hudi spends the summer at Camp Green, the Camp for Living Judaism. The bunks are named after Haifa, Tiberias, and other towns in Israel, and has a beit knesset (chapel), chadar ochel (dining hall), and moadon (multipurpose space). 

  • Hudi’s counselor is a tzofim (Israeli scout) named Golan, and his best friend at camp is another funny Latino Jew named Pepe Guzman. 

  • Hudi and Pepe are invited to lead Friday night Shabbat services, and the summer ends with Maccabia Day (similar to color wars). 

Hudi refers to mature movies such as Animal House, Caddyshack, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, but does not include any details. Pepe notes that sometimes he smokes cigarettes, but not at camp.  
What the Book is About

Yehudi “Hudi” Mercado was sent to detention so many times in school that his parents have decided he needs to spend the summer at sleepaway camp. He’s not sure how he’ll survive Jewish camp in the middle of the Texas desert, but things start to look up when he meets Pepe, another funny Latino Jew who can also see Hudi’s invisible best friend, Chunky.  

The Three Amigos (Hudi, Pepe, and Chunky) get into all sorts of hijinks, including a prank war against the three preppy Joshes. As the pranks escalate and the truth about Pepe’s background comes out, Hudi worries he might get labelled a troublemaker again and wonders if he can save his new friendship and salvage the summer.  

As the author notes, “If Chunky was about my journey as a middle grader finding my funny, then Chunky Goes to Camp is about finding my people.” This heartwarming sequel to PJ Our Way reader favority Chunky also works well as a stand-alone book. 

  • Hudi spends the summer at Camp Green, the Camp for Living Judaism. The bunks are named after Haifa, Tiberias, and other towns in Israel, and has a beit knesset (chapel), chadar ochel (dining hall), and moadon (multipurpose space). 

  • Hudi’s counselor is a tzofim (Israeli scout) named Golan, and his best friend at camp is another funny Latino Jew named Pepe Guzman. 

  • Hudi and Pepe are invited to lead Friday night Shabbat services, and the summer ends with Maccabia Day (similar to color wars). 

Hudi refers to mature movies such as Animal House, Caddyshack, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, but does not include any details. Pepe notes that sometimes he smokes cigarettes, but not at camp.