Ypulse Author Spotlight: ‘Slept Away’ By Julie Kraut
Posted by meredith on 07-22-2009
Today’s Ypulse Author Spotlight is on Julie Kraut and her fun summer camp read Slept Away, the story of spoiled Upper East teen Laney Parker leaving behind her city comforts to face the unplugged wilderness that is sleep away camp. I figured, with all of the discussion we’ve had about how camp has changed over the years, it would be interesting to hear what Julie, a Gen Y era camp alum, learned through her fictional update.
Slept Away is out in bookstores now, but we’re giving away free copies to the first three readers who share their own experience as the “new kid” in comments.
Ypulse: How much of your summer camp experience was reflected in Laney’s? What was the biggest difference?
Julie Kraut: While I do relate to Laney in a lot of ways, she and I had completely different camp experiences. I hearted camp in a major way and Slept Away is definitely not the love letter to summer camp I’d write if I were telling my own story.
I did have my moments of feeling like an outsider over the summer though, especially during the month my 12-year-old summer when I switched to a new camp, but those uncomfortable moments can’t even compare to Laney’s summer.
I’d have to say that the biggest difference between Laney and me is our attitude about camp. Laney was forced into her summer at camp and was hesitant and judgmental about nearly every element of camp. I was raring to go to camp as a seven-year-old, but my parents made me wait until the ripe old age of nine before I could head off for the summer. And unlike Laney, I embraced trying new things, even if it meant that I belly flopped when I was attempting a pike dive or wound up with a mush of clay when I was going for a vase.
YP: What are your thoughts on camp being a tech-free zone? What role does being unplugged play into Laney’s adjustment?
JK: I went to camp way back in the 90s when technology just wasn’t at the point where it could affect a summer at camp. Now, with cell phones, much faster Internet connections, and all sorts of hand held devices, it’s obviously a different story. But, I still think camp should be a relatively tech-free zone. Sure, bring your digital cameras and the bunk boom box can be replaced by an iPod, but aside from that, I really don’t seen the benefit of technology at camp. Camp is about enjoying nature, thriving in a new community, and experimenting with new experiences. Being glued to an iPhone all summer and completely in touch with your home-life ruins those camp essentials.
For Laney, cutting her power chord connection to her home-life is cruel and unusual punishment. When she first hears the tech-free rules, she thinks she’s being pranked. I don’t want to give away too much of the plot of Slept Away, but by the end of the book, Laney does find certain elements of camp life that she appreciates. If she were allowed to call her best friend every hour and monitor her social life at home via Facebook, she probably wouldn’t have even been present enough at camp to find those few things there that made her happy. I think being plugged in over the summer would have ultimately made Laney’s summer even more difficult for her.
YP: In your research for Slept Away (and your recent reading at your own old camp!), did you learn anything else about summer camp today that surprised you? What were you relieved to see hasn’t changed?
Yeah, so I just got back from a reading at my old camp, Pinemere. It was so darn fantastic and part of it was just how much had stayed the same. (The other part was the girls there, and what an amazing audience they were.) Sure, there had been some updates—new bathroom sinks, updated staircases, and a much cleaner lake—but there was so much more that had stayed the same. The girls were singing the same cheers that I sang as a camper, my plaques were still up in my bunks, and the camp still had a homeyness (in that home-away-from-home way) that made me smile.
In terms of what I was shocked by during my visit, there wasn’t too much. I did think the girls were much more articulate and polite than I was at ages 12, 13 and 14. I couldn’t believe the quality of questions I was getting during the readings and especially the amount of thank you’s I got afterward.
My research though did lead to a shocking discovery about camps making it possible for parents to digitally keep track of their kids while they’re away at camp. There are daily updated photo galleries and sometimes even live streaming videos online for parents to check out. In the same way I feel like campers should be distanced from their home-lives at camp, I think their home-lives should be distanced from them. Something about this digital one-way mirror feels yucky to me.
YP: What would you want non-campers or first-time campers to take away from Laney’s story? What about long-time campers?
Slept Away definitely is about camp, but there are lessons that apply outside the pine-scented summer world. In a more general way, Slept Away is about being uncomfortable in a new situation and how to deal with it. Whether it’s in a bunk, a boardroom, or a new block, I think everyone has been the new kid at some point and had to deal with the insecurities, fears and awkwardness that come with the situation.
Laney’s behavior in Slept Away offers some do’s and don’t's of being new. The two main take-aways are don’t be as dismissive and judgey of your new environment as Laney is. She goes into her summer not at all willing to give camp a chance and I think that makes her first few days even harder than they had to be. But, Laney does have a great sense of humor about the situation and is able to laugh at herself and that’s a big do. Sometimes in new situations, your only two options are to laugh or cry, and laughing involves a lot less snot and blotchiness, so why not pick that?
Long-time campers can certainly apply the above lessons to their lives, but I’d also hope that they’d take away this lesson: Be nice to the new girl! You were her once, remember?
JK: Do you have a favorite camp memory? Did it end up in the book?
YP: My favorite camp memories all have to do with my best friend Emily from camp, whom I’m still close with. And a lot of the friendship between Sylvie and Laney reminds me of Emily and me. Not that Emily was ever the geeky girl who looked awkward in her headgear. (Em, if you’re reading this, you looked gorgeous in your braces.) It’s more that she was such a constant support and solid friend to me, much like Sylvie is to Laney. And also similar to the Sylvie/Laney relationship, she was better at sports than I was, but still picked me for her teams even though I always somehow managed to strike out in kickball.
YP: What comes next for you writing-wise?
JK: Hopefully a third book! I’m working on something now, but am pretty superstitious when it comes to talking about projects before they’ve been bought. So, stay tuned to JulieKraut.com. I’ll post any news there. Keep your fingers crossed and think positive thoughts for me!
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Categorized under: Author Spotlight, Books & Print
July 22nd, 2009 at 11:38 am
During my childhood, my familiy moved to several different towns in the same state for my mother’s job. I was always the new kid at school, but at the camp that I went to every summer people knew me. I guess my experience is reversed in that way. Being the new kid is fun because you’re shiny and new, but totally disorienting and, once your shininess wears off, sometimes disheartening.
July 22nd, 2009 at 12:23 pm
I went to plenty of day camps as a young adult, but never a sleep-away camp until I was a junior in high school, and frankly could have done without the strict camp rules. Looking back, I should have been more open to the experience. I focused too much on what I was missing at home, and thus, limited my growth while at camp.
As Kraut said, “In a more general way, Slept Away is about being uncomfortable in a new situation and how to deal with it.” For me, that was the first year of college, living in an unfamiliar dorm, surrounded by new people and new, different opportunities. Fortunately, I was much more open and accepting by that point in time.
July 22nd, 2009 at 1:46 pm
I grew up in the same town my whole life and didn’t move until college (same house even)! So my first experience of being the new kid was at a sleep away camp in 5th grade. I was totally freaked out to go and had a mini mental breakdown when my parents left. But that night all the girls barracks got together for a party and I learned to line dance. I realized I could be whoever I wanted, the scared crying kid who no one wanted to hang out with or for probably the first time in my life, the popular girl (this was space camp and it wasn’t that hard to be cool). I decided to be cool and it was a great time. Didn’t want to go home when my parents picked me up. I think being the new kid is a great time to remake yourself a little closer to who you want to be, or just try out something new if you are only going to be there for 2 or 3 weeks.
July 22nd, 2009 at 3:29 pm
I love reading these stories. Thanks for sharing! And thank you for the interview, Ypulse!