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The Children's Bookstore featured in (cool) progeny!

7/29/2016

 
CHATTING COLOR WAR WITH ELENA BRENT WEISSMAN AND STACY DAVIDOWITZ

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HEATHER -- JULY 29, 2016

What do authors Elissa Brent Weissman and Stacy Davidowitz have in common? A love of camp, years of friendship, and they’re both appearing at The Children’s Bookstore on Saturday!

Elissa and Stacy have both recently released their second camp-themed novels for middle grade kids. What better way to celebrate than with a camp-themed book signing? Meet both authors and get your books signed at the Roland Park bookstore on Saturday, July 30th at 11:30 AM.

We caught up with both of them to chat s’mores, friendship bracelets, nerds, and color war.
chatting color war with elena brent weissmann and stacy davidowitz

CP: Talk to us about Camp Rolling Hills. What inspired you to write it? 

Stacy: Camp Rolling Hills is about a bunch of 12-year-olds at sleepaway camp—forever friendships are made, underwear is stolen, romance is sparked, marshmallows are roasted, and summer is celebrated! I’m totally camp-obsessed. And my whole family works in the camp industry.


CP: What about Nerd Camp 2.O, Elissa. What is it all about?

Elissa:  In Nerd Camp, we meet Gabe, a ten-year old who’s super excited to go to the Summer Center for Gifted Enrichment. The only problem is that he’s also desperate to impress his cool new stepbrother, Zack, and he knows that Zack would consider SCGE to be Nerd Camp. In Nerd Camp 2.0, Gabe returns to Nerd Camp and Zack is set to attend a sleepaway camp of his own, Camp Seneca. But a wildfire in the region means both camps will have to share the same campground. With all the nerds and the cool kids in one place, the two stepbrothers find themselves on opposite sides of a summer camp war. Sleepaway camp is a magical place. With so many kids and so few adults to get in the way, it’s also a dream setting for a children’s book. And a summer camp for nerds? That’s right in my sweet spot.


CP: Full disclosure, I never did the sleepaway camp thing — but I have met SO MANY moms and kids that are all about “10-for-2.”  How did your camp experience shape these books? (And which camp did you attend?)

Elissa: Here’s my dirty secret: I’ve never been to sleepaway camp either. I went to a day camp on Long Island—South Shore Y!—that was also a travel camp, so we’d take trips that lasted a few days, or maybe a week. I loved it, but I was always SO jealous of my friends who went to for-real sleepaway camp. Even if I didn’t spend the full summer away from home, though, I still experienced the intense friendships that you can form at camp, and I was fully immersed in camp rituals like Color War, ghost stories, and s’mores.

Stacy: Yup, I’m all about the 10-for-two. I love camp. Truly, deeply love it. Experiencing it as a camper and then counselor and then head staff, I really got to understand its in and outs, and most importantly, the kind of positive impact it can have on a kid. So of course plots and activities and even the camp’s layout are derived from my experiences, but also the bigger themes: friendship, being true to who you are, firsts–that’s the heart of the inspiration. I made such fantastic friends and helped nurture friendships among campers when I worked as a counselor; I experienced life-changing firsts I could never experience at home; and I learned to embrace my quirkiness with my bunkmates by my side. I feel so lucky to have grown up at Tyler Hill Camp.


CP: I’m going to ask the blunt question: anything autobiographical about either book? Willing to share it?

Stacy: I don’t know if there’s anything directly autobiographical, though a lot of plot lines are mashups of my own experiences. There’s an international transfer camper romance I’m going to be writing in Book 4, and I guess you can say that’s going to be inspired my own first camp romance. Also, there are some Sophie-isms that are straight up me-isms. SPOILER: If there’s a sixth book, you’ll meet her masterpiece “Lice the Musical” which is something I legit wrote ten summers ago.

Elissa: It’s no secret that I’m a nerd. But I like to think I’m a nerd like Gabe: passionate about learning but not socially inept. Most of the personal experience I drew on to write these books, though, came from my summers teaching at the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY). My students were incredible smart, but also funny, sweet, goofy, and, you know, kids. They inspired many of the things the Nerd Campers do in the books. My favorite drawn-from-life detail is that my students really did memorize digits of Pi, just like Gabe and his bunkmates. (Since the book’s come out, it’s inspired other kids to memorize digits of Pi. One girl told me she learned a whopping 125 digits beyond 3.14.)


CP: What do you want kids to take away from your book after reading it?

Elissa: Mostly, I just hope they enjoy the story and laugh a lot. But Gabe realizes that it’s okay to be himself—labels aside—and it’d be great if readers realize that too.

Stacy: Take risks. Be your big ol’ weird self. Resolve issues through song. Lead. Listen. Know you can sleep through noise. Remember to clap at skunks. Hide visiting day candy, but, like, well. It’s great to laugh so hard you pee a little. Sometimes, you’ve got to cry. To kiss. To compete. To open up. To raid. To love with all your heart. To roast the perfect marshmallow.


CP: So how do you know one another?

Stacy: High School! Elissa was the super brainy, super tennis star, super thespian two years above me. We actually played varsity tennis together, and in our school’s Shakespeare production of The Comedy of Errors, she played Luciana and I was her understudy! We connected again post-college since she was writing novels and I was writing plays, and then we were like, hey let’s write something together that combines both formats. We wrote a middle grade plovel which is a half-play-half-novel about a 10-year-old aspiring playwright!


CP: Elissa, you are currently living in Baltimore. What’s your favorite way to spend a summer day in Charm City with your two children?

Elissa: There are so many good options, it’s hard to choose! My best summer days involve some combination of: Boxing with Chris Nissley or Reese Ashe, then writing at The Bun Shop. Walking (with my 5- and 3-year olds scootering) from our house in Federal Hill to the fountains in the harbor, or to the free water taxi to Harbor East for some time in Pierce’s Park. Lounging at Fort McHenry, or meeting friends at Riverside Park. Taking a nap (always). Dinner at Hersh’s. Catching an O’s game. And relaxing on the roof deck once the kids are in bed.


CP: And Stacy, anything you’re looking forward to while your visiting this weekend?
​

Stacy: After the bookstore event, I’m spending three days at Camp Louise facilitating writing workshops and book clubs. It’s going to be awesome. Bring on the s’mores!

Check out the #10for2 fun in both of their new books and meet the authors this Saturday! Be sure to check out Elissa’s website and Stacy’s website, too!

Tyler Hill Camp

7/28/2016

 
Had an amazing visit at Tyler Hill Camp, where I went as a camper, counselor, and head staff! Got to teach lots of workshops and hang out with gifted and hilarious kids who wrote great stuff, asked perfect questions, and even helped me brainstorm Book 4 of the series:)

New York Public Library Author Event with Stacy Davidowitz

7/20/2016

 
Head to Aguilar Library for a writing workshop, reading, Q&A, and friendship bracelets!

Monday, July 25th at 11:00am

Aguilar Library
174 East 110th Street
New York, NY 10029
(212) 534-2930

http://mommypoppins.com/new-york-city-kids/event/free/author-talk-with-stacy-davidowitz

10 to 20 Parenting - Kid Review!

7/12/2016

 
Thanks to Lily D, age 10, for this AMAZING review of BOTH BOOKS!

​Review of Camp Rolling Hills Books 1 and 2
JULY 12, 2016 

Camp Rolling Hills is the perfect book for tweens 9-13. It would be a very good book if you are about to go to overnight camp for the first time. This book is about a certain group of kids going to camp. Each book switches between the perspectives of a girl and a boy. So this book would be perfect for both girls and boys (no matter how girly the cover looks, just check the back of the bookJ.)

I personally think this book embodies what overnight camp is. I went on an overnight trip with my school at a local camp where I live for a night, and when I read this book, I thought about that trip and could relate to the characters’ experiences. I think it will make your child want to go to an overnight camp (it sure convinced me!).

Camp Rolling Hills is about a boy and a girl and their experiences at camp. In the first book, the main characters are fourth-year camper Stephanie (a.k.a. Slimy) and first-year camper Bobby (a.k.a. Smelly). Their two cabins (Anita Hill and San Juan Hill) get into a prank war, and Slimy and Smelly are stuck in the middle of it!

The second book, Camp Rolling Hills: Crossing Over, is their next year at camp. Hamburger Hiller Robert (called by his last name, Steinberg) enters a robotics contest that goes completely wrong. Faith Hiller Bethany (also called by her last name, Melman) is the sporty type, but gets a dare to wear a pink princess dress for three days. The reward: a cabin ice cream party. Her cabin mates beg her to do it, so she really had no choice. Both books are full of hilarious shenanigans and lots of laughs! This is an amazing series, and I hope they make more books for me (and maybe you) to read.

Editors note: This fabulous review was written by one very sharp young lady who’s 10 years old, Lily D!!​

Disclaimer – We were provided with copies of the books to facilitate our review. The opinions of our reviewer are 100% her own. I mean… show us a 10 year old who DOESN’T tell you like it is 😉

Mrs. Mommy Booknerd's Blog - Reviews of both books!

7/11/2016

 
Thank you to Mrs. Mommy Booknerd's Blog for posting such incredible and thoughtful reviews of both books in the series!

CAMP ROLLING HILLS: BOOK ONE

I want to head to camp and meet these kids. This an amazing book!  Filled with heart, fun, sun and camp shenanigans.  Davidowitz has brilliantly captured the emotions that arise and interpersonal relationships that develop while at camp.   Any kid would love to open this book and head to Camp Rolling Hills.  Whether they have attended camp or not they will laugh, feel and maybe learn a few new ways to interact with other kids. This is the first book in a series that will surly become a favorite for you and your kids... 5 stars 

CAMP ROLLING HILLS: CROSSING OVER: BOOK TWO

All the brilliance of the the first book in the series, Camp Rollings Hills, with new issues, new shenanigans and plenty of laughs.  A wonderful story about dealing with friendship as people change and trying to find common ground with those friends.  It is about solving problems and embracing who you are.  There is heart, friendship and love wrapped up in a story that will capture your attention, as well as your kids.  You will wish you went to camp or you will reminisce about your time at camp.  If nothing else you will have a great time visiting Camp Rolling Hills.  5 huge stars
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Summer 365's Visiting Day Gift Guide

7/9/2016

 
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Thrilled to be included in this visiting day gift guide! But also, everything in this guide looks either incredibly delicious or incredibly cool-swaggy.

Check it out! ​http://www.summer365.com/summer-365-camp-visiting-day-gift-guide-2016/

Camp Rolling Hills is a middle-school age book series by Stacy Davidowitz. The series follows twelve campers over the course of three summers (ages 12 to 14) as they bond, grow, fall in love, participate in hilarious high jinx, and eat s’mores. Each book is told from the point of view of one boy and one girl, so that by the end of the series, each character will have their half a book to shine! The first two books of the series came out in May 2016. The third book, which is all about Color War, will be released in April 2017. The fourth book will be released in April 2018. There are potentially two more books after that, bringing the series to a total of six books. For more information go to www.camprollinghills.com and order online at Amazon.

WHY WE LOVE IT!: This is going to be summer reading your camper will actually enjoy! These books about camp are perfect for rest hour and flashlight time in camp.

Bunk Reads - First Review by Caro, Camp Micah

7/2/2016

 
Bunk Reads Review – by Caro in G9
Posted by camp micah on June 29, 2016

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This summer, Camp Micah is proud to be part of Bunk Reads, a book discovery program supporting campers’ year-round independent reading. We’re excited to share our first book review from Caro L. in G9!
“I read Camp Rolling Hills by Stacy Davidowitz. I really liked this book for many reasons. One of the two major ones is the fact that the camp was really similar to Micah. The second is that the two main characters, Bobby (Smelly) and Stephanie (Slimey), both have family problems. A lot of authors have all of their characters be perfect. Perfect looks, perfect grades, perfect families. I really like the change. I would definitely recommend this book.”
Campers keep coming into the office to check out books that they’ve chosen from our Rec Room library! We look forward to sharing more book reviews throughout the summer!

    Stacy Davidowitz

    Author of the 4-book Camp Rolling Hills Book Series! Order here!

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