These stories can either involve camping outside or in the wilderness or going to a summer camp. See also How I Spent My Summer Vacation.
Individual Books
General Fiction
A set of twins who were separated by their divorced parents and haven’t seen each other since they were babies meet again at a summer camp. This was the basis for the Disney movie The Parent Trap. Originally written in German. By Erich Kastner.
A brother and sister run away from their harsh baby-sitter to spend the summer secretly at the lake. (Alternate title: Baked Beans for Breakfast) By Ruth Chew.
Historical Fiction
Molly and her friends, Linda and Susan, go away to summer camp. One of the big events at camp is a game of Capture the Flag. Half of the girls are defending a flag on an island in the middle of the lake, and the others are supposed to find a way to sneak onto the island and capture it. At first, Molly and her friends are looking forward to it, playing soldier, but everything goes wrong. First, Linda ends up being assigned to the opposite team, and then, most of Molly and Susan’s team is captured after a disastrous attempt on the flag. With Molly and Susan the only remaining free members of their team, can Molly find a way to face her fears and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat? Part of the American Girls Books, a World War II story.
Mystery
Part of the Boxcar Children series. Strange things happen on a camping trip, and the Aldens wonder who could be trying to drive them away from the camp grounds.
The Curse of the Egyptian Mummy (1983)
A group of scouts camping near a boarding house get involved in a mystery concerning a stolen Egyptian relic. By Pat Hutchins.
Meg Mackintosh and The Mystery at Camp Creepy
Meg Mackintosh tries to solve the mystery of the ghost haunting her summer camp.
A girl who has recently lost her vision struggles to find the people who are sabotaging the camp for disabled children where she has been learning to cope with her new blindness.
Fantasy
Werewolves Don’t Go to Summer Camp (1991)
Mr. Jenkins, the new director at Camp Lone Wolf, is really hairy, eats his meat extra rare, and seems obsessed with wolves. Could he be the werewolf from camp legends? Part of the The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids series.
Picture Books
Arthur Goes to Camp (1982)
When Arthur is the victim of a practical joke at camp, he wants to go home, but his friends need his help for the scavenger hunt. Part of the Arthur Adventure series. By Marc Brown.
The Berenstain Bears and the Ghost of the Forest (1988)
Part of the Berenstain Bears series.
The Berenstain Bears Go to Camp (1982)
Part of the Berenstain Bears series.
Two cousins tell each other scary stories while camping out in the backyard. It’s a contest between the two of them. Who will end up scaring who the most? Part of the Creepies Series. By Rose Impey.
The Storyteller (1996)
A girl at summer camp would rather read than participate in the camp activities, which she isn’t very good at. However, one of the counselors finds a way to turn her love of stories into a camp activity that she is good at. Came with book charm.
Series
A group of girls has attended Camp Sunnyside every summer for years, and they’ve formed a strong bond from their shared summer adventures.
Children’s book series about a junior scouting troop of second graders. 1988-2000.
A series of mysteries with The Kids of the Polk Street School. Dawn uses her Polka Dot Private Eye detective kit to solve mysteries with her friends and classmates. A couple of them take place at summer camp. By Patricia Reilly Giff.
Jestress's Forgotten Books and Stories 