From veteran animators Bob Scott and Vicki Scott, who have worked on everything from Garfield to Pixar films, comes Campers Beware, the second middle-grade graphic novel in the Molly and the Bear series. This charming story, aimed at readers aged 8 to 12, follows Molly and her family on their yearly summer camping trip. The adventure gets a lot more complicated when she brings along her best friend, Bear, an 800-pound grizzly who is afraid of just about everything. Molly’s dad is already uneasy about having a bear at the campsite, and his worries seem justified when Bear’s comical fear of campfires, rafting, and strange noises creates chaos. The lighthearted fun takes a serious turn when Bear’s mishaps accidentally attract a family of wild bears to their cabin, forcing Molly to step up to save the day.
Campers Beware is an excellent tool for building confidence in developing readers. The graphic novel format immediately lowers the barrier to understanding, as the vibrant, full-color panels create the narrative, allowing students to follow the plot and character emotions visually. This format is a huge support for English language learners or any student who struggles with text-heavy pages. The language itself is wonderfully accessible, relying on simple, dialogue-driven sentences that keep the story moving at a brisk pace. Vocabulary is straightforward, and when a slightly more advanced word appears, its meaning can be easily inferred from the illustrations and context. The book cleverly avoids confusing idioms, and with its engaging humor and strong visual supports, it is a fantastic choice for any classroom library seeking high-interest stories that empower and entertain reluctant readers.
