Candlewick Press and Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts Partner to Create April Vacation and Summer Camp Programming
Candlewick books offer adventure, strong female characters to inspire young Girl Scouts
SOMERVILLE, MA – March 10, 2017 – Candlewick Press and Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts announced today that they will collaborate on April vacation and summer camp programming that uses acclaimed books featuring strong, independent girls to nurture Girl Scouts’ confidence and love of reading.
“We are pleased to partner with Candlewick Press to offer programs that will increase girls’ access to books and will connect them to inspiring stories about female characters who exhibit the Girl Scout traits of courage, confidence, and character,” said Patricia A. Parcellin, chief executive officer of Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts (GSEM).
The titles showcased in the program will include the New York Times best-selling Princess in Black series by Shannon and Dean Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham; the beloved, best-selling, and critically acclaimed Judy Moody series by Megan McDonald, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds; Juana & Lucas, written and illustrated by Juana Medina, winner of a Pura Belpré Author Award; and the Mercy Watson series by two-time Newbery Award winner Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen.
Ally Russell, consumer outreach specialist at Candlewick Press, said the programming inspired by the books will help expand Girl Scouts’ horizons.
“We are happy to be partnering with an organization that wants to put books with strong leading ladies into the hands of young girls, and we hope that these books and camps will help further develop the girls’ growth into resilient, confident women,” Russell said.
The following events designed around these books are planned for the coming months:
- On April 20, GSEM will celebrate Princess in Black Day, timed for April vacation and including a camp visit from illustrator LeUyen Pham. Pham will demonstrate drawing for participating Girl Scouts, who will also take part in GSEM-designed crafts and activities.
- On April 20 at 4 p.m., Pham will sign copies of the Princess in Black books at the Girl Scouts’ Camp Cedar Hill store in Waltham, MA.
- On April 18–21, GSEM will hold an April Vacation Camp session based on Judy Moody Declares Independence. The camp will involve a field trip to Boston sites Judy visits in the book.
- On June 26–30, GSEM’s Camp Sampler will feature Juana & Lucas.
- On July 5–7, GSEM will create a program based on The Princess in Black Takes a Vacation, the fourth book in the best-selling series.
• On July 10–14, GSEM’s Pixie Dust program will feature Mercy Watson: Princess in Disguise.
• On July 24–28, GSEM’s Mischief Makers program will feature Mercy Watson Fights Crime.
GSEM’s Parcellin expressed her hope that these unique book-centered events would encourage a love of reading among participating Girl Scouts.
“We know how important it is to make reading fun for young people and believe these special opportunities for girls to meet an illustrator and to walk in the shoes of characters as independent as Judy Moody will help inspire a lifelong interest in reading,” Parcellin says.
About Candlewick Press:
Candlewick Press is an independent publisher based in Somerville, Massachusetts. For twenty-five years, Candlewick has published outstanding children’s books for readers of all ages, including books by award-winning authors and illustrators such as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature emerita Kate DiCamillo, M. T. Anderson, Jon Klassen, and Laura Amy Schlitz; the widely acclaimed Judy Moody, Mercy Watson, and ’Ology series; and favorites such as Guess How Much I Love You, Where’s Waldo?, and Maisy. Candlewick is part of the Walker Books Group, together with Walker Books UK in London and Walker Books Australia. The Walker Books Group has a unique ownership structure that includes its employees worldwide. Visit Candlewick online at www.candlewick.com.
About Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts:
Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts is 50,000 women strong, with 35,000 girls and 15,000 volunteers in 178 communities in eastern Massachusetts. We’re here to build girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place. For more information, please visit www.hergirlscouts.org.
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Juana & Lucas
by Juana Medina
HC: 978-0-7636-7208-9 · $14.99 U.S. / $21.00 CAN · First Chapter Book
96 pages · Ages 5–8
Judy Moody Declares Independence
by Megan McDonald, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
PB: 978-0-7636-4851-0 · $5.99 U.S. / $8.00 CAN · Illustrated Middle-Grade Fiction
160 pages · Ages 6–9
Mercy Watson Fights Crime
by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen
PB: 978-0-7636-4952-4 · $5.99 U.S. / $7.00 CAN · First Chapter Book
80 pages · Ages 5–8
Mercy Watson: Princess in Disguise
by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen
PB: 978-0-7636-4951-7 · $5.99 U.S. / $8.00 CAN · First Chapter Book
80 pages · Ages 5–8
The Princess in Black Takes a Vacation
by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham
PB: 978-0-7636-9451-7 · $6.99 U.S. / $9.50 CAN · First Chapter Book
96 pages · Ages 5–8
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