An entertaining story that celebrates friendship, diversity, environmental awareness, and anti-racism. This engaging, illustrated, middle grade chapter book is a great addition to classroom and homeschool libraries and should appeal to fans of Ramona Quimby, Jada Jones, Judy Moody, and Junie B. Jones. There is no such thing as Big Foot! Or is there… Sophie Washington and her classmates are on their way to Camp Glowing Spring for a class retreat. It’ll be two full days of swimming, eating s’mores around a campfire, tug-of-war, archery, and more! Sophie’s been looking forward to the trip all school year and can’t wait to spend extra time with her friends. It will also be great to get away from her bratty younger brother, Cole, and his constant stories about Big Foot. If Cole warns her about what to do if she sees the hairy ape man on the retreat one more time, she’ll put in ear plugs. Everybody knows Big Foot is a hoax! Once the kids arrive at the retreat site things are as exciting as Sophie imagined. She has fun exploring nature with her besties, Chloe, Valentina, Toby, Nathan, and Mariama, and meeting new friends too. Then the kids see a giant footprint during a nature hike in the woods and the adventure really begins! This is the eleventh book in the Readers' Favorite five star rated Sophie Washington series. Books can be read in any order. Other titles include: Sophie Washington: Queen of the Bee (Book 1) - Sophie Washington: The Snitch (Book 2) - Sophie Washington: Things You Didn't Know About Sophie (Book 3) - Sophie Washington: The Gamer (Book 4) - Sophie Washington: Hurricane (Book 5) - Sophie Washington: Mission Costa Rica (Book 6) - Sophie Washington: Secret Santa (Book 7) - Sophie Washington: Code One (Book 8) - Sophie Washington: Mismatch (Book 9) - Sophie Washington: My BFF (Book 10) - Sophie Washington: Class Retreat (Book 11) - Sophie Washington: Lemonade Day (Book 12) - Sophie Washington: Treasure Beach (Book 13) Ages 8-12 "Ellis shows insight into the doubts and joys of middle school in this latest outing....A mild but enjoyable adventure." - Kirkus Reviews I'm not a horror fan, so the idea of writing a slightly spooky tale for Sophie and friends gave me goosebumps. But I thought it would be interesting to have my characters encounter a frightening fictional creature as a way to process dealing with racism, a real-life monster. Sadly, some of the incidents in the story are based on actual experiences. I hope this middle grade story geared to children ages 8-12 will entertain while also teaching readers lessons about accepting differences in others. Check out all the books in the Sophie Washington series: Sophie Washington: Queen of the Bee (Book 1) - Sophie Washington: The Snitch (Book 2) - Sophie Washington: Things You Didn't Know About Sophie (Book 3) - Sophie Washington: The Gamer (Book 4) - Sophie Washington: Hurricane (Book 5) - Sophie Washington: Mission Costa Rica (Book 6) - Sophie Washington: Secret Santa (Book 7) - Sophie Washington: Code One (Book 8) - Sophie Washington: Mismatch (Book 9) - Sophie Washington: My BFF (Book 10) - Sophie Washington: Class Retreat (Book 11) - Sophie Washington: Lemonade Day (Book 12) - Sophie Washington: Treasure Beach (Book 13) Tonya Duncan Ellis has had her nose in a book since she learned to read, so it's no surprise that she'd one day become a writer. She is author of the Amazon bestselling Sophie Washington children's book series, a former journalist, and a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). Fluent in French, Tonya loves learning about other cultures and has traveled to 49 states and 20 countries. She lives in Houston, Texas with her husband and three children.