Nerd Camp 2.0
by Elissa Brent Weissman
Atheneum Books for Young Readers (May 6, 2014)
Description from GoodReads:
Gabe is happily headed back to Nerd Camp, but can he handle a cool-kid invasion?
For Gabe, the equation for ideal summer bliss equals six glorious weeks of vigorous learning immersion at the Summer Center for Gifted Enrichment; aka, Nerd Camp. Last year was amazing, and this summer will be even better.
At least, that's what Gabe thinks until a new variable is introduced: Zack, Gabe's cool stepbrother, was supposed to attend a camp nearby, but in the aftermath of a recent wildfire, Zack's camp and nerd camp will be sharing territory. As these two very different worlds collide, will both camps - and both stepbrothers - survive the summer?
My thoughts on the book:
This is the time of the year that I start making lists of books for summer reading. I have a list for my 7 year old niece. Some we will read together and others that I hope she will read independently. Recently, I was at a school book fair and I was book talking titles for summer reading materials for students. Though Nerd Camp 2.0 wasn't available at this particular book fair, it is a book that I would certainly add to my summer reading recommendations.
Gabe is returning to the Summer Center for Gifted Enrichment (SCGE) or Nerd Camp for another summer of nerdy fun. This year, Gabe's new stepbrother Zack will also be going to camp, but due to an unfortunate wildfire, Zack's camp will be on the same property as Gabe's. Summer camp, siblings, and friends with different opinions results in some hilarious situations and also coming to new understanding of one another. And there's a tiny bit of middle grade romance thrown in.
Nerd Camp 2.0 alternates between Zack and Gabe's Points of View. In the beginning, I had to laugh about Gabe's description of his head gear and how he used baseball cards to help the band be less itchy. I remember wearing head gear and immensely hating it. I wasn't aware that kids had to still wear head gear when they had braces. Zack, on the other hand, is still puzzled by Gabe, though he definitely appreciates some of Gabe's unique abilities like figuring out how to convince their parents to let Zack go to sleep-away camp.
Though I appreciated the relationship between Zack and Gabe and the struggles they had as step-brothers and as siblings with very different personalities and interests, I realize that many readers will find more enjoyment from the funny situations and pranks that the characters get into. It almost seems like a prerequisite for a book about camp to have pranks and rivalries. And well, you will have to read it to find out how it turns out.
If you have not read Nerd Camp, I would suggest trying that one out first. Nerd Camp does provide a little background, but Nerd Camp 2.0 can also be read on its own.
Elissa Brent Weissman never wore head gear, but she did have braces for over five years. Now a proud nerd, she is the author of many books about smart kids, including The Short Seller, Standing for Socks, and The Trouble with Mark Hopper. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland, with her nerdy husband (who did wear head gear!) and their two super cool nerds-in-training. Learn more at www.ebweissman.com.
Elissa wanted readers to have some Nerd Camp fun and provided us with a Logic Puzzle. Read the puzzle and the hint. Figure out the answer and enter to win a special Nerd Camp Prize Pack. (Note: Though we would love to pick a winner that completed the puzzle correctly, please still enter to win.)
Kayak Conundrum
Puzzle:Gabe, Zack, Wesley, and Nikhil all kayaked across the lake to Dead Man’s Island. When they got in their kayaks to go back to camp, they discovered that one of the kayaks had sprung a leak. Now they’ll have to get back in one kayak, and the kayak only holds two people.
* Gabe can kayak across the lake in 1 minute.
* Zack can kayak across in 2 minutes.
* Nikhil takes 5 minutes to cross, just to be safe.
* Wesley is so bad at kayaking, it takes him 10 minutes to cross.
* When two people go together, they can go only go as fast as the slower person. (If Gabe and Wesley kayak together, it will take them 10 minutes.)
* To make matters worse, it’s getting dark, and they only have one flashlight. That means that when two people go across to camp, one person will have to kayak back to Dead Man’s Island with the flashlight. The batteries in the flashlight will last exactly 17 minutes.How can they all get back to camp before the batteries in the flashlight run out?
Hint: Someone at camp needs to bring the flashlight back to Dead Man’s Island, but it doesn’t have to be one of the people who made the most recent trip to camp.
Giveaway:
One lucky reader will have a chance to win a Nerd Camp Prize Pack including Nerd Camp and Nerd Camp 2.0 and a specially designed retainer case.
Please complete the rafflecopter below with the answer to the logic problem in order to enter. You must be 13 years or older to enter and have a US mailing address.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
