Ofer Aronskind
In Summer Sleep-Away, Mattie begins his summer far from home, separated from his family and not knowing a soul. At first he was scared, homesick and cried himself to sleep. Soon, however, the tears gave way to new friends and fantastic adventures. At summer’s end, Mattie returns home with newly-found confidence and a better understanding of his family’s unique background.
Mr. Aronskind drew inspiration for Summer Sleep Away from his own family background. The Aronskind’s operated summer camps in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts for over 15 years. The adventures and anecdotes in this book, although fictionalized, are his boyhood memories. He explains, “Anyone who has attended sleep-away camp remembers their first summer: discovering the great outdoors, making new friends, learning to appreciate mess-hall food – even the homesickness and bug bites. In Summer Sleep-Away, I’ve tried to re-create this magical time. It’s a great book for first-time campers, boys and girls returning to summer camp, and adults who want to bring back childhood memories.”
Summer Sleep-Away received “Honorable Mention” in the 2008 Writer's Digest International Self-Published Book Awards (category Middle-Grade/
In addition to Summer Sleep-Away, Mr. Aronskind has published two other novels, That Same Summer and Escape from Sunday School. His fourth novel, The Celebrities of Summer School, is scheduled to be published in Spring 2010.
