Reader’s Advisory: Killer Camps, teen horror and summer camps

Going away to summer camp and not coming back is a staple of teen horror films. Yes, summer is over, but we can revisit this classic horror setting as spooky season commences. Here are some of my favorite books that involve camps that have gone horrifically wrong.

You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight is a book about a town where a famous murder happened long ago in camp. Now, that camp functions as the ultimate type of Escape Room type tourist attraction. You and your friends can come for the night and paid teen actors are supposed to pretend to run the camp and scare the bejesus out of you, all in good fun. It’s the ultimate haunted house. But what happens when the campers start turning up dead, but for real? This is such a fun book.

The Camp Lost Lake murders are notorious for a lot of reasons, but most important to Reagan is that her mom may be the notorious murderer. Olivia also has connections to the camp, which she learns more about when a DNA test reveals that her dad is not her biological father. The camp is re-opening, which gives both teens the opportunity to try and find the answers they are looking for, but only if they can survive. Someone may not want the answers to be found. Danielle Valentine is the author of How to Survive Your Murder, another fun teen horror read full of tropes, call backs and homages to popular horror films. Keep your eye on this teen horror author, she hasn’t disappointed yet.

The Girls from Hush Cabin is more mystery/thriller than outright horror. Four friends find their relationship strained by the events of summer camp years before, which forced the camp to close down. When their former camp counselor turns up dead, the girls decide it was no accident and try to solve her murder. But solving the murder means that have to reveal the dark secrets of their past. Tense and interesting, a good read for mystery/thriller readers that looks back at dark summer camp secrets.

The Counselors is another mystery/thriller as opposed to outright horror. And it also involves dark secrets that took place at summer camp. Jessica Goodman is also the author of They Wish They Were Us and They’ll Never Catch Us, and she does a really good job at writing teen mystery/thrillers that keep you turning the page.

This book is full of all the great slasher horror moments that you can ask for. A teen girl goes searching for her dead mother’s body at the summer camp that was once the home of her father, the serial killer. Temple’s dad is the North Point Killer, convicted of murdering over 20 people. His home has been turning into an overnight camp, so Temple poses as a camp counselor to try and find her mother’s body to try and find her mother’s body. Things go about as well as you would expect, but you’ll be entertained by it all.

Eat Your Heart Out is a delightful two for one special of killer camps AND zombies, because some of the campers start turning into zombies. A great read for Shaun of the Dead fans.

What are some of your favorite YA books that involve deadly summer camps? I’m always looking for more books to read.

Filed under: Horror, Teen Fiction, Teen Literature, YA Lit, YA Thrillers