Beware! Camping adventures can turn into calamities. If you doubt me, just read what can happen

Camping catastrophe! by Abby Klein ; illustrated by John McKinley

Alvin Ho : allergic to camping, hiking, and other natural disasters by Lenore Look ; illustrated by LeUyen Pham

A week in the woods by Andrew Clements

Other, less horrific tales, involving camping are also available at the library for your summertime reading, be it safe at home, or out in the wild.

American history can be thrilling to read about — if you pick up the right books. Try one of these recent suspenseful spy stories:

Soldier's secret: the story of Deborah Sampson by Sheila Solomon Klass

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

Hannah Pritchard: pirate of the Revolution by Bonnie Pryor

Spy! by Anna Myers

Other great stories about the Revolutionary War are also available. Happy 4th of July reading!

Some awesome kids books take place right here in the Michigan we all love. Willow Run by Patricia Reilly Giff introduces us to Maggie Dillion whose life has been turned upside down by World War II. Her experiences and realizations help us all believe in the power of friends and family to support each other in uncertain times...something we could all use about now. The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis is a roll-on-the-floor laughing book about a Flint family, their adventures and relationships...comic relief which is also very therapeutic in stressful times. A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban won the 2007 Michigan Mitten Award. It is a humorous book about family and friendship, as well as the power of music to inspire and transform. Go Michigan!