The Church Camp Conundrum

By Amy Tindell and Michael Verrett

Isaac and Joanie, your favorite neurodiverse brother-sister team are back. This summer, they are off to church camp, which turns out to be anything but normal. From missing camp staff to the "missionariest" missionaries ever, Isaac and Joanie somehow manage to solve some of the greatest camp conundrums in spite of flaming marshmallows, sunken ca

• Language: English
• Publisher: Monkey Muffin
• Release date: Feb 20, 2024
• ISBN: 9798989957019

Amy Tindell

Originally from Alabama, Amy completed her first degree in journalism from Troy University before spending two years as a missionary in Mozambique. Upon returning to the US, she received her masters degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, which is also where she met her husband, Thomas. Amy has spent 19 years teaching both regular education and special education in private and public schools, while raising two neurodivergent children and fostering several more. Her son, "Isaac", was born in 2011 and has high functioning Autism. Their daughter, "Joanie", joined the family in 2016. She was later diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). Amy and her family currently live in Louisiana, where she has recently stepped away from teaching to write. She has a blog called Neurodiversity & Faith and has started writing the Think a Little Different series of books for children and young adults.Through her writing, Amy uses humor and compassion to show some of the challenges neurodivergent children face today.Connect with Amy Tindell at:Neurodiversity & Faithhttps://www.amytindell.com

Book preview

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What’s Inside?

The Road to Camp

According to Joanie8

The End of the Line

According to Isaac14

The Missionariest Missionary

According to Joanie18

Water Gun Wars

According to Isaac22

Bead Time

According to Joanie26

Snack Shack Attack

According to Isaac30

The Snack Shack

According to Joanie34

The Canoe Race

According to Joanie40

Ready, Fire, Aim

According to Isaac44

The Wrong Tooth Fairy

According to Joanie48

The Scavenger Hunt

According to Isaac52

Praying Sticks

According to Isaac58

Hair on Fire

According to Joanie64

God Uses Everything

According to Isaac68

Dust Cloud

According to Joanie72

Just A Note

About Amy

More of Isaac & Joanie’s Stories

The Road to Camp

According to Joanie

Chapter 1

Dad drove down the dirt road to Camp Paronwood. It was less than an hour from home, but this was turning into the longest hour ever. Isaac kept shoving his pillows and backpack onto my side of the car, so I didn’t have any room. Then my video game controller ran out of battery power, and I had to listen to the radio station my parents picked since they were in the front seats. It was torture. I could feel the angry creeping in.

Are we there yet? I asked Dad.

No, my dad said. I expected him to tell me when we’d get there, but he didn’t.

How much longer? I asked, whining in an even higher pitch.

Three minutes less than the last time you asked, my mom said. She wasn’t helping the situation.

I think I see the sign! Isaac yelled from the seat next to me. Thank goodness there was a mountain of stuff between us, or he might have damaged my ears. Mom must have been thinking the same thing.

Don’t yell in the car, she reminded him.

Isaac was right. There was a bright yellow sign on the side of the road pointing everyone to the left. The name Camp Paronwood was written in bright red letters with a black outline that made the letters look like they were jumping out at you. It reminded me of the 3D movie I had seen with my friends a few weeks ago.

The dirt road to the left was even bumpier. I wasn’t even sure you could call it a road. We bounced along going as slow as a turtle.

Maybe you should use the four-wheel drive, Isaac suggested.

It’s not THAT bad, my dad said. I think he was getting a little angry with Isaac. As we drove through the camp gate, we hit a bump that bounced me all the way to the roof of the car. It was almost like one of those rollercoasters I’d seen Mom and Isaac ride. I was almost tall enough to ride them too. At the end of the summer, my parents had a trip planned to a park with rollercoasters. Maybe this year I’d be tall enough to ride with them. Maybe the rollercoaster would be bright red like the camp sign.

Ouch! I yelled and rubbed my head. Both Mom and Dad looked at me funny. Then I noticed the car was parked.

Delayed reaction? Mom asked with a grin.

I guess, I said still rubbing my head.

Mom got out of the car and went to the registration table. It was an old folding table with a yellow and red striped plastic tablecloth draped over it. I could hear Mom talking to the three older girls at the table, but I couldn’t make out what she was saying. They all laughed at something, and I strained to hear even harder.

"Kiddo, stop leaning on