Synopses & Reviews
Ten-year-old Gabe has just been accepted to the Summer Center for Gifted Enrichment. That means heand#8217;ll be spending six weeks at sleep-away camp writing poetry and perfecting logic proofs. S.C.G.E. has been a summer home to some legendary middle-school smarty-pants (and future Jeopardy! contestants), but it has a reputation for being, well, a Nerd Camp. S.C.G.E = Smart Camp for Geeks and Eggheads. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;But, is Gabe really a geek? Heand#8217;s never thought about it much, but that was before he met Zack, his hip, LA-cool, soon-to-be step-brother. Now, Gabe is worried that Zack will think heand#8217;s a nerd, not only a nerd, but JUST a nerd. A wild summer at campand#8212;complete with a midnight canoe ride to and#8220;Dead Manand#8217;s Islandand#8221;and#8212;makes Gabe realize that Zack may not be the brother he'd always dreamed of, but that doesn't mean they can't be friends. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;This clever, fun summer read from Elissa Brent Weissman is full of great minor characters (like a bunkmate who solves math problems in his sleep) and silly subplots (like the geekiest lice outbreak ever). Adjust your head-gear, pack your camp bag and get ready to geek out!
Review
andlt;bandgt;Gr 4-5andlt;/bandgt;and#8211;Gabe, 10, is excited about getting two things he has wanted: a brother and to go to camp. The brother is Zack, the son of his fatherand#8217;s fiancand#233;e, who is also 10 and lives across the country in L.A. The camp is the Summer Center for Gifted Enrichment. Gabe wants to appear just as cool to Zack as he thinks Zack is, so he keeps the and#8220;nerdand#8221; details about camp to himself. At SCGE, the campers have lessons in the morning, then traditional camp activities in the afternoon and evening. The campers are typical kids, pulling pranks, whining about some things, and getting homesick; they just happen to be extremely bright. Gabe enjoys his bunkmates and loves everything about camp except the food. Zack is envious of Gabeand#8217;s experience, so Gabe keeps him up-to-date on whatand#8217;s happening, sort of. He keeps a chart of things he can tell his stepbrother and the details that probably shouldnand#8217;t be mentioned, e.g., that they like learning the digits of Pi. The boysand#8217; characters are well developed and although the three adults play a minor role in the story, they are civil to one another and to both boys. In addition to being a good, humorous story, the book also illustrates that kids who are bright are just kids and can enjoy a lot of different things.andlt;iandgt;and#8211;Nancy P. Reeder, Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, Columbia, SCandlt;/iandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; andlt;bandgt;andlt;iandgt; - SLJ June 2011andlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
Review
andlt;bandgt;Nerd Camp.andlt;/bandgt;andlt;BRandgt; Weissman, Elissa Brent (Author)andlt;BRandgt; May 2011. 272 p. Atheneum, hardcover, $15.99. (9781442417038).andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; Perfect for kids whose quest for knowledge isnand#8217;t satisfied by nine months of school, Weissmanand#8217;s latestandlt;BRandgt; novel features an appealing 10-year-old whoand#8217;s more certain of facts and figures than of his worth. Gabeandlt;BRandgt; questions his own and#8220;coolnessand#8221; when he meets the boy whoand#8217;s about to become his stepbrother; theyand#8217;re theandlt;BRandgt; same age but worlds apart intellectually, and Gabe tries to hide from Zack all traces of his own nerdyandlt;BRandgt; tendencies. Weissman portrays Gabe as a sweet only child whoand#8217;s as excited about getting the sibling heandlt;BRandgt; has always wanted as he is about being admitted to a and#8220;Gifted Enrichmentand#8221; camp. Over the course of sixandlt;BRandgt; weeks of camp, he revels in his adventures and then analyzes them for their nerdiness quotient, workingandlt;BRandgt; out logic proofs to help him figure out how much to tell Zack. Weissman depicts a camp whose academicandlt;BRandgt; classes sound almost as fun as kayaking and color war. These smart, funny kids learn something from aandlt;BRandgt; lice infestation, and itand#8217;s only logical that Gabe also gains confidence in his own opinions and individuality.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; --andlt;iandgt;BOOKLISTandlt;/iandgt;, May 1, 2011
Review
Nerd Camp
by Elissa Brent Weissman
Intermediate
Review
http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/summer-novels-for-kids/2011/05/31/AGLy9VZH_story.html
NERD CAMP
By Elissa Brent Weissman
Atheneum. $15.99. Ages 8-12
Gabe, 10, can hardly wait to dive into the sonnets, syllogisms and scavenger hunts at the Summer Center for Gifted Enrichment, a sleepaway camp for bright kids. That is, until he discovers that his soon-to-be stepbrother, Zack, scorns such things as nerdy. With his cellphone, surfboard and poor spelling, Zack seems the epitome of cool, and bespectacled Gabe yearns for a similar sangfroid. Gabe's path to geeky self-acceptance is filled with quirky adventure. There's a UFO sighting, a stealth kayak mission and a clandestine lice-breeding lab, along with bunkmates who recite the digits of pi (for fun!) and tape pictures of Beethoven to their cabin walls. Fans of "The Big Bang Theory" may recognize in Gabe and his smart, funny friends the youthful counterparts of the zany brainiacs on that popular TV show.
--Washington Post 6/17/11
Synopsis
Ten-year-old Gabe has just been accepted to the Summer Center for Gifted Enrichment. That means he'll be spending six weeks at sleepaway camp, writing poetry and perfecting logic proofs. SCGE has been a summer home of some legendary middle-school smarty-pants (and future Jeopardy contestants), but it also has a reputation for being, well, a nerd camp. Gabe isn't a nerd. Is he? He's never thought about it much, but compared to Zack, his hip, soon-to-be-stepbrother from LA, Gabe's not so sure where he falls on the cool scale. A wild summer at camp--complete with a midnight canoe ride to Dead Man's Island--helps Gabe realize that he and Zack may be different, but that doesn't mean they can't be brothers...and friends.
Synopsis
A funny second-grade school story involvingand#160;lost teeth,and#160;gross table manners, the weirdness of idioms, a new kid from France, and the ups and downs of friendship.
Synopsis
With a friend like Patrick, who needs enemies? Patrick is a showoff and a prankster, and Richard is his usual target. Resolved not to let Patrick get him in trouble, Richard is sucked in by The Mosquito,and#160;a way to eat redand#160;Jell-O through a straw, and of course trouble ensues. Complications arise when the new girl from France thinks the boys are seriously injured, and miscommunication isand#160;all too easyand#160;when idioms in English and in Frenchand#160;are taken literally.and#160;The shifting alliances, interests, and concernsand#160;of second-gradersand#160;are authentically and humorously depicted in this easy-to-read school story.
About the Author
Elissa Brent Weissman is the author of andlt;iandgt;The Short Sellerandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;Nerd Campandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;i andgt;Nerd Camp 2.0andlt;/iandgt;,andlt;iandgt; andlt;/iandgt;and andlt;iandgt;Standing for Socks andlt;/iandgt;as well as andlt;iandgt;The Trouble with Mark Hopperandlt;/iandgt;. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland. Visit her at EBWeissman.com.