I just got back from the post office, where I mailed my son a care package full of fun stuff and surprises plus swim suits (oops), which got me to remembering how much fun it was to receive mail at camp, especially PACKAGES — and especially to get some fun surprises inside including BOOKS and TREATS.

Which gave me idea: if any of you want to send something fun to a kid at camp (or wherever), like maybe a care package including one of my books (or more; go for more, I say as a kid whose camp nickname was Bookworm, which may or may not have been meant kindly but was probably pretty accurate, though I had secretly hoped for something more awesome and sporty like Ace or Flash despite my reading addiction/lack of other skills)… do you think it would be fun to include a letter from the author???

OMG if Judy Blume or Paula Danziger or Paul Zindel had written a letter TO ME and my mom sent it amid the spare swim suits and box of Jell-O (don’t ask; disgusting but we loved it)I think I would have been unable to stand it.

Or even some author I had never heard of, honestly, along with one of her books? Crazy. I think truly my whole bunk would have needed to read the book at that point, even those girls who would rather stick a fork through their palms than read. My brother, who is very much not a fan of reading, spent one summer reading through at least two of Robert Cormier’s books after my grandfather got a letter from the author to my brother. It was a pretty profound gift, actually, now that I think of it. Thanks, Papa Harry.

If you think your kid, or a kid you like, would enjoy getting a letter from an author, respond here with your kid’s name, age, the book you’re sending, and your address! (You can include the names of the other kids in the bunk, too, if you think that’ll be fun — just please don’t leave anybody out!!! We don’t want to create trauma, just happiness!)

I swear I WILL get a letter and a signed, personalized bookplate to the post office ASAP, even though, ugh, the post office. But still — CARE PACKAGES ROCK! Especially care packages with surprises and BOOKS inside!