I was sent this book for review from Macmillan-First Second Reads. All thoughts and opinions are honest.

I've read Anya's Ghost and I really enjoyed it. So, I knew very well that I wouldn't have a problem reading this. Vera is eight & nine-years old in this graphic memoir and dreams of going to sleep-away camp like her friends are. Yet, her mother is going to school for accounting and is a single parent. They're dealing with poverty and Vera is being excluded and called "weird" because she is Russian. I liked seeing young Vera and her character development throughout the novel. She learns a lot about herself by going to a Russian camp.

I really enjoyed how Vera incorporated her own camp experience into this novel with her own written letters and adding her experience to the plot while adding some fictional elements. Be Prepared showed the ups and downs of childhood and trying to belong. I also enjoyed the incorporation of the Russian language. You learn some Russian words. and I especially liked that the words were starred and had English translation.

If you went to summer camp, you will definitely relate to this novel! I didn't go to sleep-away camp, I only went to day camp yet I could still relate to Vera in some ways.

This was a sweet novel and I would highly recommend.