Music Camp

By Penny Tangey

Reviewed by Annaleise Byrd

Penny Tangey is a qualified librarian who has written a variety of books for young people, including the picture book Granbad, an Aussie STEM Stars title about endocrinologist Creswell Eastman and the middle grade novel As Fast As I Can, which won the Readings Children’s Book Prize in 2021.

Music Camp is a dual-POV middle grade novel that follows a group of kids from country Victoria through the highs and lows of five days at Year 6 Music Camp. One narrator, Miley, has lived in a caravan since she and her single mum lost their home to a flood the previous year. Miley is passionate about the recorder and hopes attending the camp will help convince others it’s a serious musical instrument. The other narrator, Juliet, lost her musician father to illness. She’s looking forward to auditioning for a flute solo for the end-of-camp concert and making new friends who don’t see her as the sad “dead-dad girl”.

As the camp progresses, the young musicians face a variety of challenges, from jealousy, friendship dramas and first crushes to, eventually, another flood and subsequent evacuation. The core characters are complex and well-developed, with two major supporting characters coded as neurodivergent and a minor character who is non-binary. The characters behave in believable tween-like ways, including mild rule-breaking, risk-taking and experiencing anxiety over climate change. Tangey is a founding member of Kid Lit for Climate Action, a passion that comes through in the narrative without being the central topic.

The premise of this book appealed to this musically inclined reviewer and former band kid from the start, but a particular highlight upon reading it was the accurate use of musical terminology. This is rarer than one might think! It’s wonderful to see an Australian middle grade offering that centres and celebrates instrumental music; Music Camp is a treat both for fellow “music nerds” and for fans of contemporary realistic fiction.

This would be a suitable Reader’s Cup title for Years 5/6.

UQP 2025

Penny Tangey

Annaleise Byrd is the author of middle grade portal fantasies Losing the Plot and Down the Plot Hole, and the picture book You Are Not a Pup