Max, the biggest bully in first grade, just can't believe that Freddy Thresher and his best friend, Robbie, are going on a camping trip this weekend. Worse yet, Freddy's sister, Suzie, has bet him a full week's worth of chores that he'll be too much of a scaredy-cat to spend the whole night in the wild! And, even though Freddy is a little bit worried, he sure isn't going to let Suzie win a bet that involves cleaning the basement! Shark head flashlight, sleeping back, tent, and S'more supplies in tow, Freddy, Robbie, and Mr. Thresher head off to the camp grounds for a weekend of campfire fun.

But, when Freddy and Robbie stray from their firewood collecting and come across a busy beehive, the trip takes an adventurous and hilarious turn! A high-speed bee chase, a disastrous fishing contest, two spooky ghost stories, and one midnight bear visit later, Freddy will have plenty to tell Mrs. Wushy's class on Monday!

Freddy Thresher is both excited and worried about his first overnight camping trip. He'll be with his Dad and best friend Robbie, and he knows they will have plenty of adventures, but Freddy has never slept without a night light before. What's more, his first grade classmates are making him jumpy about the possibility of encountering snakes and skunks. His sister calls him a "baby" and confidently bets that he will come home in the middle of the night. Freddy and Robbie have ambitious plans for their overnight, including fishing for their dinner, pitching a tent, swimming in the lake, building a campfire, and eating s'mores. The trip activities don't exactly turn out as planned. The friends find themselves in several predicaments, including trying to assemble a tent with no instructions and fending off a swarm of angry bees. Despite the many catastrophes, the boys also enjoy themselves and Freddy declares it the best camping trip ever. In this latest book in the "Ready, Freddy!" series, Klein introduces beginning chapter book readers to the idea of preparing for and going on a camping trip in an entertaining and humorous manner that is well-suited for this reading level. Problems arise but they are resolved quickly and, in each catastrophic situation, the boys solve their own problems. The illustrations are comical and add to the hilarity of the various catastrophes the boys face. Camping knowledge and lore is extended at the back of the book with a camping word search, a recipe for s'mores and some camping jokes. As with other books in the series, readers can search for the word "fin" in every picture. Reviewer: Margaret Orto

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