I didn’t know there was a sequel to Hey, Kiddo until I swiped this book from my teen’s library pile. It’s about when the author volunteered as a teenage counselor for a summer camp. This camp was for children with life-threatening illnesses, and their families. It was all provided free of charge. When the author told his grandparents he was going there, they said something like: why would you want to do that? won’t it be terribly depressing? And there were sad parts. But most of it was uplifting. Yes, the kids had serious health issues- some were in recovery from cancer, some of them he kept in touch with and met again years later, others didn’t make it. He stayed in touch with a few families and saw what they went through with their grief, too. Mostly though, it’s about the camp experience, how they made it as worry-free and fun and inclusive for the kids as possible. Jarrett had an individual assignment to help a kid near his own age, who was in a wheelchair. Despondent for the most part, reluctant to participate. But wowed by Jarrett’s drawing ability, so first he just kept the kid entertained, and then they found ways to do things. Go out on the lake in a boat. Join in at the climbing wall, where the whole team of kids and counselors lifted him up! It was pretty amazing. Some very touching parts, when the teens or them and the kids would sit around the campfire at night and share stories and experiences of tough times they’d gone through. Also some reflections on what a huge difference this made in the author’s life. He went back to finish up high school and everything felt different- he had a bigger perspective on everything, realized a lot of stuff most teenagers fret and trouble themselves over just isn’t important. And even though it was sad that he wouldn’t see all of the same camp kids again, he was going to go back and do more volunteer work. It meant that much to him.
Borrowed from the public library. Completed on 8/8/24.
