Camo Girl

Camo Girl

In their class, Ella and Z, protagonists of Kekla Magoon's Camo
Girl, are the left out, bullied kids. Ella is called Camo Girl
because her skin is varigated shades of brown instead of one uniform
color. When she was younger she had other friends. Now her social
circle has shrunk to encompass the very fragile Z.
Z functions in a fantasy world of his own. Usually he's an
Arthurian knight in shining armor. Sometimes he's a spy on a
mission. He receives no services at school because he gets good
grades and doesn't misbehave. He has Ella to intercede between him
and the rest of the world. She also keeps his secret. Since being
abandoned by his father, he and his mother have been homeless,
sleeping in the store where she works.
Then a cute boy, Bailey, transfers to their school. He
introduces Ella to a whole different world. He teaches her how to
play basketball. They hang out at a soda shop. Some of the other
kids start to accept her.
There's a fly in the ointment. Z reacts strongly against Ella's
new friendships, leaving her torn. As much as she loves her new life
she feels guilty. Z needs her. She's the only one he has.
Maybe, though, he needs more than the help she can give him.
This is a powerful, evocative coming of age novel. I highly
recommend it.
On a personal note, Devin is staying over for the night. I'm staying
up late to watch episodes of That Seventies Show with the boys. Adam
and I used to watch that show all the time when he was a lot younger.
We have brownies with Nutella and milk. Life is good.
A great big shout out goes out to the boys.
Julia Emily Hathaway


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