Like Bug Juice on a Burger

I hate camp. I just hate it. I wish I didn’t. But I do. Being here is worse than bug juice on a burger. Or homework on Thanksgiving. Or water seeping into my shoes. In this sequel to the critically acclaimed Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie, Eleanor is off to summer camp. At first she’s excited to carry on the family tradition at Camp Wallumwahpuck, but when she gets there she finds icky bugs, terrible food, and worst of all: swim class, where she just can’t seem to keep up with everyone else. But as the days go on, Eleanor realizes that even the most miserable situations can be full of special surprises and that growing up is full of belly flops.

Praise for Like Bug Juice on a Burger
"Eleanor doesn’t just survive, she grows…Readers will celebrate and look forward to more."
—Kirkus Reviews

"Sternberg gets all of the details exactly right, from the “orange, oozing sloppy joes” to the frustrations of trying to swim in a life jacket. susan dove lempke."
—The HornBook

"This is a really sweet novel in verse and a good sequel to Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie (Abrams, 2011), though it works fine as a stand-alone."
—School Library Journal

"Eleanor’s tentative yet heartfelt voice comes through as clearly as in the first volume, with the short, ragged-right-margin lines as approachable as her personality. Sternberg is particularly deft at leaving young-reader-sized room for interpretation and extrapolation."
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"This sequel to Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie (2011) is just as endearing and wise, illustrating how small triumphs can help children survive what, at the time, seems an insurmountable trial."
—Booklist

Award
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbons List 2013
Honor list - 2014 Gryphon Award