Graphic Novel Review: Camp Prodigy by Caroline Palmer

Posted on August 20, 2024 at 6:30 am by Gene Ambaum

Camp Prodigy by Caroline Palmer. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2024. 9781665930383. 250pp.

Tate goes to a concert to see nonbinary violist Eli Violet play, but Eli’s anxiety gets the better of them and they don’t perform. Tate, inspired to learn the viola, starts practicing; they’re also clearly trying to work up the courage to come out as nonbinary, too. Tate’s parents send them to Camp Prodigy, “A place for musicians, from beginner to advanced.” There they have to deal with other violists with a range of personalities. Best of all, Eli is there, and no one seems to know who they are except Tate. They become fast friends and Eli helps Tate improve. Much of the book is about Eli trying to find their comfort zone, and Tate trying to balance ambition and practice with other concerns, including when to come out to their fellow campers and family.

This is a straightforward, intense story of friendship, anxiety, being oneself, and musicianship that will speak to many older elementary and middle school students in particular.