Summer Sleep-away

by Ofer Aronskind

A tale of a young boy's first summer going off to sleep-away camp. Far from home, separated from his family and not knowing a soul, Mattie Kleinfeld is scared, homesick and cries himself to sleep. But soon the tears give way to new friends and fantastic adventures. But it is not the canoe trips or the overnights that set this summer apart; it is not even his first girlfriend. It is a clue that he and his pals stumble upon that leads them to the adventure of a lifetime, to a vast treasure and to a window that sheds light on Mattie's unique background.

174 pages, Paperback

First published January 13, 2006

About the author

Ofer Aronskind was born in Tel Aviv, Israel and came to the United States at the age of six. He grew up in Little Neck, Queens, on the outskirts of New York City. He attended SUNY Albany then took a year off after college where he spent the year in Los Angeles writing screenplays. The following year he came back to NY to attend St. John's University School of Law and graduated in 1989. He went to work at the law firm of Weil Gotshal & Manges as a real estate attorney and worked there until 1997. He now lives in Short Hills, New Jersey with his three sons and is a real estate investor.

Ofer, father of 3 boys, has had a lifelong passion for reading and writing. He began writing his first book, Summer Sleep Away the summer he sent his own sons off to camp for their first time. Ofer spent endless nights sitting at the edge of their beds telling his children stories from his own years in camp. As the boys embarked on their journey they encouraged Ofer to turn his stories into a book… so became Mattie Kleinfeld and the beginning of Ofer’s prolific career.

New Jersey resident Ofer Aronskind remembers what it was like to be 12 years old: the challenges of middle school, making new friends, attending summer camp for the first time, having your first crush. By drawing on events from his life, as well as those of his three teenage sons, he has been able to vividly recreate some of life’s most memorable experiences in his young-adult novels.

To find more about Ofer and his books for young adults, please visit www.oferaronskind.com

Reviews

[Seth Abshire]

This book was won for free through Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.

So excited to have won this book! Updated review will be posted once book is received.

[Ingrid Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ofer Aronskind is the author of several Young Adult books, he is also an attorney (that would be lawyer to us Brits!) His primary goal in his writing is to write books that boys will want to read and Summer Sleep-Away is apparently loosely based on adventures at a summer camp that his family ran in Western Massachusetts.

I will be honest and say that I knew absolutely zilch about this author prior to reading his novel and I had no idea what genre it was going to be or what to expect. The first thing that caught my attention was the copyright notice because I was expecting a recently published novel whereas in actual fact it dates back to 1995. The second thing to REALLY grab my attention were the chapter headings because up until this point I kind of had it in my head that it was going to be a novel aimed at adults and so when I saw things such as THE LONG SMELLY BUS RIDE and THE FOOD SUCKED BUT THE GIRLS WERE CUTE my first random thought was that it was going to a first hand account by some sex crazy young man on his first jaunt around the world. It soon became apparent that the main character was MUCH more interesting and endearing than that and I have to say for me, Matthew Kleinfield rocks!

Summer Sleep-Away is written from the view point of the main character, it is beautifully written, witty and sharp and whilst the direction of the story is a little predictable, the plot itself, littered as it is with funny anecdotes and a deliciously self-deprecating humour had me chuckling away to myself. The characters are all very well rounded and believable and the author deals effortlessly with ALL of the issues facing a young boy of Matthew's age. Everything from leaving home for the first time and being sent against his will to the Summer Camp, to making new friends, overcoming hurdles and obstacles and falling in love...which brings me nicely onto Nicole, Matthew's girlfriend...It was refreshing reading about two young people falling in love for the first time from the boy's point of view and I was incredibly impressed by the fact that the author managed to tell it exactly as it was for Matthew whilst also successfully capturing the spirit and character of Nicole. (Something which sadly in my experience a lot of male authors fail to do) Their relationship developed beautifully throughout the novel and definitely felt like the falling in love for the very first time type of thing, but (and I am not normally renowned for my prudishness) on an emotional level it felt more like the kind of relationship that a sixteen/seventeen year old rather than an eleven/twelve year old would embark upon.

Maybe boys grow up quicker in Massachusetts than they do over here in the U.K or maybe I am just squeamish because I have a fifteen going on sixteen year old son and the thought of him being so emotionally attached at such a young age gives me the shudders...That said I loved so many elements about this book. I loved the fact that the kids got to be kids in the outdoor activities that they did. I loved the SBD (Silent but deadly) farts. I loved the postcards written in Matthew's own handwriting which he sent back home to Mum (Mom) and Dad.

I would have no hesitation recommending this book to young teens, or dads that still haven't grown up, or anyone who likes the YA genre with a timeless twist.

You can find me at www.ingridhall.com

[Eugene]

This is an awesome book that allowed me to relive my summer camp days