Camp Catastrophe (Dante N Ferno #2) by Brian Gordon

This Diary Of A Wimpy Kid-Inferno mashup is back, as our hapless middle school demon hero takes on a new challenge: sleepaway camp!

Now that Dante has a best friend, he’s willing to do practically anything to keep their relationship strong, including going to summer camp in the woods. Angelic Virgil insists that Camp Sulphur Springs is the absolute best, and is really looking forward to going back after having had to miss it the year before. Dante just wants to hang out with the first real friend he’s ever made. Fleeing his annoying siblings is just a bonus.

Camp Sulphur Springs turns out to be very different from what Dante expected tho. While the perpetually good-natured Virgil tries to make light of things, it’s obvious that the place has fallen into disrepair. The new sasquatch owners, Donny and Alma, are doing their best, and have hired the super-charismatic Wolf to lead the camper activities. Dante, ofc, instinctively hates the guy.

His animosity is only heightened by the amount of time and attention that both Virgil and Bea — Dante’s first ever female friend — are lavishing on the counselor. His supposed friends don’t even have time to help him practice the magic tricks that he wants to perform for the camp’s Talent Show. But when Dante finds Wolf acting suspiciously, will anyone believe him or will they all think he’s just being jealous?

This was a very cute installment of an illustrated series that I feel is really beginning to hit its stride. While the first book in the series felt occasionally wobbly — and I say this despite it overall being an excellent read — this follow up feels far more confidently told. This is likely due to less need to establish the setting, as well as less localization for British readers.

My Kindle version made a bit of a hash of some of the drawings, but overall, they continue to add so much to the humorous story. I really enjoyed this fun take on the legends — classical and urban — and am looking forward to seeing where the author takes these characters next.

Camp Catastrophe (Dante N Ferno #2) by Brian Gordon was published May 26 2026 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux and is available from all good booksellers, including