Summer Camp Can Be Frightenting...
To help overcome grief, Rich Hanson takes a summer job at Camp Safe Harbor (also known as Camp Fear) in the beautiful North Georgia Mountains. When faced with real peril, he must find the courage to lead the camp staff to safety.
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• A camp filled with fear 
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Camp Fear Reviews and Comments
I don't read a lot of YA fiction, but I was pleasantly surprised with this. Sharpton is a clear, succinct writer that weaves an engaging story about a young man coming of age after the tragic loss of his older brother. Don't let the title make you think this is a slasher story, although it's got some great action and a tense climax, it is more about whether the main character can overcome his internal fears to grow into the man his deceased brother would be proud of rather than a horror book. I don't want to give away the ending, but once the real threat finally shows up, you'll be on the edge of your seat waiting to see if fear will truly be overcome, or if darkness wins in the end.
- Jim D
If you ever attended summer camp as a kid, you will relate to this book. The author takes a look at the experience through the counselor's eyes, not the campers'. His characters possess the same flaws as everybody else does, which makes this story so real. The protagonist is trying to deal with the tragic loss of his brother and was sent to the camp as a counselor to help other kids with problems. Watching the counselors as they try to control the campers and at the same time deal with their own issues makes this story timeless. I attended summer camp decades ago, but the book brought me right back there - it's a great read, an excellent example of YA fiction, one that adults as well as teens will enjoy. Great work again, Ben!
- Janie Sullivan
Ritch Hanson is having a tough time. His grades are falling, he’s wading through a stifling blanket of grief and depression, and his future is slipping away from him. Everyone who loves him can see he needs help. The question is: what is the best way to help him? His mother eventually drags him to see a psychiatrist, who decides to try to find a way for Ritch to help heal himself. He suggests sending Ritch to summer camp to act as a counsellor. Since the alternatives are not terribly appealing, the young man agrees to go. But his overwhelming grief follows him, threatening to drag him back into darkness every time he sees a glimmer of light. Can Ritch Hanson struggle his way to a brighter, better future, or is he doomed to live in the shadows of his former life? Will his journey help him to find himself and truly live again? Ben A. Sharpton’s Camp Fear is heart-warming.
I personally enjoyed Camp Fear because I found it insightful and inspiring. Ben Sharpton’s characters were likeable and believable. People who have suffered from depression and grief will identify with Ritch, and those that haven’t might gain insight from this character’s journey. Either way, this is a true coming-of-age story in the most original sense of the phrase. It was well-written and enjoyable, and definitely worth reading. If you enjoy a good adventure story with a little meaning packed into it, give Ben Sharpton’s Camp Fear a read!
- Kiara Done for Readers' Favorite
As with any book, I have to be able to relate to the protagonist to really delve into the story. Sharpton's character development is phenomenal. Ritch is completely believable--as is the grief he is suffering due to the loss of a pivotal person in his life. However, the turmoil of the loss is not so oppressive that it steers the story entirely; rather, it lands Ritch in a bizarre camp for young people with an arguably insane director. Basically under dictatorship, Ritch strives to seek effective change...that's where the fun and action begins.
If not for my hectic personal life and my own writing deadlines, this would have been a one-sitting book. I enjoyed Sharpton's writing style and found the ambitious story line refreshing. It was completely unpredictable and yet believable. Easily worth 5 stars.
- Bradon Nave (author of Copper Lilies)
- Jim D
If you ever attended summer camp as a kid, you will relate to this book. The author takes a look at the experience through the counselor's eyes, not the campers'. His characters possess the same flaws as everybody else does, which makes this story so real. The protagonist is trying to deal with the tragic loss of his brother and was sent to the camp as a counselor to help other kids with problems. Watching the counselors as they try to control the campers and at the same time deal with their own issues makes this story timeless. I attended summer camp decades ago, but the book brought me right back there - it's a great read, an excellent example of YA fiction, one that adults as well as teens will enjoy. Great work again, Ben!
- Janie Sullivan
Ritch Hanson is having a tough time. His grades are falling, he’s wading through a stifling blanket of grief and depression, and his future is slipping away from him. Everyone who loves him can see he needs help. The question is: what is the best way to help him? His mother eventually drags him to see a psychiatrist, who decides to try to find a way for Ritch to help heal himself. He suggests sending Ritch to summer camp to act as a counsellor. Since the alternatives are not terribly appealing, the young man agrees to go. But his overwhelming grief follows him, threatening to drag him back into darkness every time he sees a glimmer of light. Can Ritch Hanson struggle his way to a brighter, better future, or is he doomed to live in the shadows of his former life? Will his journey help him to find himself and truly live again? Ben A. Sharpton’s Camp Fear is heart-warming.
I personally enjoyed Camp Fear because I found it insightful and inspiring. Ben Sharpton’s characters were likeable and believable. People who have suffered from depression and grief will identify with Ritch, and those that haven’t might gain insight from this character’s journey. Either way, this is a true coming-of-age story in the most original sense of the phrase. It was well-written and enjoyable, and definitely worth reading. If you enjoy a good adventure story with a little meaning packed into it, give Ben Sharpton’s Camp Fear a read!
- Kiara Done for Readers' Favorite
As with any book, I have to be able to relate to the protagonist to really delve into the story. Sharpton's character development is phenomenal. Ritch is completely believable--as is the grief he is suffering due to the loss of a pivotal person in his life. However, the turmoil of the loss is not so oppressive that it steers the story entirely; rather, it lands Ritch in a bizarre camp for young people with an arguably insane director. Basically under dictatorship, Ritch strives to seek effective change...that's where the fun and action begins.
If not for my hectic personal life and my own writing deadlines, this would have been a one-sitting book. I enjoyed Sharpton's writing style and found the ambitious story line refreshing. It was completely unpredictable and yet believable. Easily worth 5 stars.
- Bradon Nave (author of Copper Lilies)