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"Jerome Camps Out" is a great book for grades K-3 to learn about bullying. This is such a sensitive, but necessary topic that needs to be discussed. This is a perfect book for children to see how bullying can hurt and upset the person being bullied. Jerome and PJ are going on a school camping trip and have to share a tent with Buster. Buster has been playing pranks on PJ all week so they aren't looking forward to sharing a tent with him. When Jerome and PJ try and sneak into someone else's tent, they are caught by Mrs. Gator and sent to their tent with Buster. Buster, of course, plays a prank on them with fake snakes and makes them sleep in a crowded corner. When Jerome and PJ come up with a plan to scare Buster, it works. They asked their friend to come by their tent at night and make monster noises and sure enough Buster got scared and ran off. The next morning, when thanking their friend, she let's them know that Mrs. Gator caught her sneaking out and wasn't able to scare Buster. The end page shows a picture of a swamp monster hiding behind a bush, leaving the reader to believe there really was a monster making noises. I think the children will love this book and be surprised and excited at the end. ( )

Jerome and PJ go with Swamp School for a camping trip. Buster will also be there and he has been putting ants in PJ's lunch all week. They try to get on bus before Buster sees them. Didn't work and Buster snatches PJ's hat. The first night at camp site all three of them are supposed to share a tent. PJ and Jerome try to sneak into someone else's tent but Miss Gator catches them. They go back to their tent and discover Buster has snakes in the tent(fake ones). So they decide to sleep outside. Next morning both of their backpacks are missing and they have to go hiking in there pajamas. While hiking they find a tree full of all their clothes and teacher asks how did they get there. Jerome comes up with a plan, while everyone is hiking PJ and him make big monster footprints coming out of lake. Gloria gets in on their plan to try to scare Buster. Buster notices footprints and later that night hears noise outside of their tent and now he's scared. Large shadows and noises move closer to their tent. Finally they try to all go asleep and Buster is too scared and can't sleep. The next day on the way back home Buster says he will never go back because the monster kept him up. Gloria says what monster the teacher caught me sneaking out. PJ says well wonder what that noise was and Jerome says I don't even wanna think about it! This book was suspenseful and doesn't end like the reader would expect. I think children would be excited to get to the end and see what happens. I recommend this book to grades K- 3. ( )