To Night Owl From Dogfish by Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer

 

Last night, I finished reading To Night Owl From Dogfish by Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer. This realistic fiction novel is about two girls, Avery and Bett, whose fathers fall in love and send them to the same overnight camp, CIGI, when they decide to go on a motorcycle adventure in China. Initially, Avery and Bett really don't like each other after Bett sends an email to Avery and they start to get to know each other. The two girls don't really have anything in common and they hate the idea of becoming friends, let alone sisters. Camp is full of challenges, though, and the two girls bond and become friends after a couple of incidents. They even get kicked out of camp and end up spending time with Avery's biological mom, Kristina, and Bett's grandmother, Gaga. Unfortunately, Avery and Bett's dads have problems of their own on their trip and break up when they get back. Both girls are very upset and disappointed, so they decide to get their dads back together because they now want to be family after their summer adventures.

I thought this novel was both funny and emotional. I loved that it was written in both emails and letters and thought the format was a fitting way to tell the story. Avery and Bett are two very different girls, but I really enjoyed their different personalities, especially when they made me laugh with their quirks. Avery loves books and struggles with anxiety, so I related to her the most, but I admired Bett's courage to take risks even if it got her in trouble. I also thought it was cool that they decided to use animals for their nicknames. Avery is Night Owl and Bett is Dogfish. Meeting Kristina and Gaga was very fun, too. Kristina is a playwright who just happened to be working on a play in Michigan where the girls were sent to camp, while Gaga is casted in the play after she picked up Bett and decided to bring her back to continue hanging out with Avery. More than a year passes in this novel, and I was very surprised by the ending because it wasn't what I expected. I thought it was very sweet and heartwarming, though. To Night Owl From Dogfish is an outstanding choice for anyone who wants to read about friendship, family, and how a summer at camp can bring different people together.