Happy National Camping Month

The Great Outdoors Await...

Author

Ally Russell
June 01, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes

June is National Camping Month. I bet you think I’m going to encourage you to go outside; however, quite the opposite is true—stay inside!

Why? Because the woods are full of creepy crawlies and high strangeness. If you think bigfoot is the scariest thing stalking the woods of the world, you’re wrong. There are other cryptids (like dogman), weird spots where time and space are wonky, and never, ever underestimate the threat of ticks.

You’re probably going to camp anyway. Fine. I can’t stop you, so instead of trying to steer you down a paved path of safety, I’ll reshare my rules and tips for summer camping. They might keep you safe out there.

A graphic that looks like a torn sheet of paper with ten camping tips on it.

Reading.

Reading is a much safer summer activity. Do you plan to read It Came from the Trees this summer? Have you already read it? If so, send me your summer reading photos. Let’s compile a summer camp photo album of It Came from the Trees out in the wild!

Photo of bigfoot hand reaching for a copy of the book IT CAME FROM THE TREES.

Why should you read it?

Here are three reasons why you should bump It Came from the Trees to the top of your summer TBR:

1. The book is full of mixed media, including news articles about missing people, blog posts about strange things in the woods, scout tips, and more.

2. It’s a creature feature! ‘Nough said.

3. It’s a quick read. You can finish it in six hours—maybe even faster depending on how quickly you turn the pages. (P.S. The audiobook is perfect to listen to around a summer campfire. Listen to a sample.)

Educators and Librarians

If you and your students are reading It Came from the Trees, check out this free, downloadable educator’s guide. Shout out to Megan at thespookyclassroom.com for creating this helpful resource!

And the Texas Bluebonnet Team has created this frightening fun resource to get young readers excited about the book.

Finally, if you need more summer camping horror recommendations, check out this list of 5 Scary Books for Young Campers, presented by Spooky Middle Grade!

Graphic that reads SPOOKY MIDDLE GRADE at the top and features 5 camping horror books for kids. Includes Nox Winters and the Midnight Wolf; Frights to Tell at Night: Creepy Campfire Stories; It Came from the Trees; S'More Spooky Stories; and The Ghosts of Bitterfly Bay.

Creeping Soon

Friday the 13th is coming…

Check back early next month for galley giveaway details for Mystery James Digs Her Own Grave!

Photo of a book called MYSTERY JAMES DIGS HER OWN GRAVE sitting on top of a pile of fake worms..

That’s All, Creeps!

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