Good evening, camp families, guest authors, and all eager readers everywhere, for one last time this summer! Week 2 has taken us up, down, and across New York City, from the stacks of the NYPL to the infinite halls of the Met, and our campers’ imaginations has led them down endless avenues as they wrote, drew, and performed tales of secrets, betrayal, and more, with lots of laughs along the way. We ended our week together with our usual flair – read on for the highlights!
Continue reading “Friday, July 21 – The Lost Year”Thursday, July 20 – Force of Fire
Today was a jam-packed awesome day at camp, and not just because it was a camper’s birthday! We started off our day with an early activity. While our activities usually occur during the late morning or afternoon, in order to accommodate for our incredible field trip, we started as soon as the campers began to arrive! They were challenged to retell a myth or folktale through drawing, prose or poetry. This was a nod to today’s book Force of Fire by Sayantani DasGupta, which was influenced by Bengali folklore. Campers took inspiration from Hindu deities, Greek gods, and Roman heroes! Once all our campers arrived it was time to wrap up our myths (for now) and head out into the great, mythological land called Manhattan.
Continue reading “Thursday, July 20 – Force of Fire”Wednesday, July 19 – In the Role of Brie Hutchens…
HI!!! Today at camp, we entered ~theater mode~. The book for today was In the Role of Brie Hutchens… by Nicole Melleby, which is about an eighth grader named Brie who loves the performing arts and navigates her queer identity with her friends, family, and classmates. In the book, Brie comes out to her mom using a monologue she performs in an audition for a performing arts school. So…we did a writing exercise in which we wrote our own monologues! The prompt was to share something we felt the other character(s) needed to know, whether it was something they wanted to get off their chest, a problem they were facing, or a truth about themselves. We then shared and got to hear immersive monologues– about Judy Blume’s Fudge series, hidden riches, and a Mario Kart romantic entanglement.

Tuesday, July 18 – Grimoire Noir
Hello again, bookworms of all ages! We’ve kickstarted another wonderful week together at the Thalia Kids Book Club Camp with back-to-back spine-chilling supernatural stories. Today’s featured book: the gorgeously witchy graphic novel mystery Grimoire Noir! Our campers enjoyed some face-to-face time with today’s guest, writer and self-publisher Vera Greentea, with plenty of time for activities, games, and spooky secrets along the way. But don’t be shy – read on for a recap of all the highlights!
Continue reading “Tuesday, July 18 – Grimoire Noir”Monday, July 17 – Dead Flip
We had a great first day of camp today! We started off our Monday with some introductions in the Sharp theater.

All About Week 2!
Hello again, my fellow bookworms! We’ve wrapped Week 1 of camp, and every day was incredible. Our Week 1 campers stepped foot in Harry Houdini’s office, discovered their very own secret garden, made their Broadway debuts with amazing original productions during Share, and got to meet a whole array of wonderful authors, guests, hosts, and guides through it all! The whole camp staff was in awe of the group’s creativity, spirit, and support for each other; it was so sad to say goodbye.
Fortunately, another amazing week lies ahead of us! The campers and guest authors may change, but at camp, one thing always remains the same: we’ll have an absolutely incredible time together debating plot twists, supporting our favorite characters, writing “what if…?” and “what next?” stories, and running wild in the park at lunch. This year’s Week 2 is uniquely rife with rakkhosh, soap opera drama, witches and ghosts at the bottom of a well, a haunted pinball machine, and The Legend of Zelda, in no particular order. Our campers will be off on two amazing field trips this week to deepen their connections with our books, and taking part in the brand new suite of activities our staffers and guests have dreamed up. Ready for a sneak peek of what’s ahead? Read on!
Continue reading “All About Week 2!”