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Bears Beware is the fifth book in the Zigzag Kids series. This time, the Zigzag Afternoon Center plans a camping trip for all the kids, which troubles Mitchell. He's worried about sleeping outside with lots of bugs and wild animals all around. Still, since his best friend Habib will be there, he figures he will be safe. When they arrive, however, he doesn't get to be partners with Habib for the nature hunt - and worse yet, the tent pole for the boys' tent gets broken! Will Mitchell survive a night in the woods, or will he be forced to face the bears he fears?

As much I loved Patricia Reilly Giff's Polk Street School books as a kid, the Zigzag Kids books don't speak to me in the same way. I don't find myself getting inside the characters' heads as much, and their experiences don't ring as true as the ordinary events that happened at Polk Street School. Though I think the idea of camping is interesting to young readers, I didn't feel as though this book captured the excitement kids might experience on such a trip. Mitchell's fears, too, are likely shared by many real kids his age, but reading about them wasn't as interesting or as fresh as I might have expected.

The illustrations perfectly match the characters, however, and they do a wonderful job of portraying their diversity in terms of age, race, and appearance. The visual guide at the start of the book is especially useful in keeping track of the large cast, especially since there isn't much description in the text, and the narrator changes with each book.

Overall, I think Giff has created a very 21st century series that reflects the reality for a lot of kids who don't go home after school, but instead visit a center or program. I don't know of many other books set in such a program, so these books fill a real gap on libraries' chapter book shelves. Giff also has a knack for understanding the struggles of elementary schoolers and bringing them to life through interesting characters. While this series doesn't really thrill me like Giff's other works, chapter book readers who love realistic fiction and school stories will have no problem falling in love with Mitchell and his friends.

I received a digital ARC of Bears Beware from Random House via NetGalley.

For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.

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