Camp Sylvania: Moon Madness

Julie Murphy splits her time between North Texas and Kansas with her husband, who loves her, and her cats, who tolerate her. She is the #1 New York Times bestselling author and coauthor of over twenty books for all ages including Dumplin’ (now a Netflix original film) and the Christmas Notch series cowritten with her best friend, Sierra Simone. When Julie isn’t writing, she’s hunting for the perfect slice of cheese pizza, discovering a new hobby that she will soon discard, and planning her next travel adventure. Crystal Maldonado writes inclusive stories about fat brown girls. By day, Crystal works in higher education marketing, and by night, she writes young adult novels like Fat Chance, Charlie Vega and No Filter and Other Lies. She lives in western Massachusetts with her husband, daughter, and dog. Camp Sylvania: Moon Madness is her middle grade debut. Visit her online at crystalwrote.com.

"Nora and Maggie take turns as narrators, their engaging voices giving insight into both sides of their middle-school friendship drama. Snappy dialogue and gentle poking fun at New Agey-ness add to the humor." — The Horn Book"A speedy but satisfying read that should appeal to a wide range of readers who want the perfect combination of scary, clever, funny, and quick." — School Library JournalPraise for DEAR SWEET PEA: “Murphy creates a wonderfully realistic portrait of tween life in her first middle-grade novel…. Sweet Pea is a treasure of a protagonist.” — ALA Booklist (starred review)“Full of cringe-worthy but funny seventh grade moments… [there’s also] plenty of room for more serious reflection about the people around her in her small Texas town, a cast diverse in ethnicity, sexual orientation, and body size as well as in attitudes.” — Horn Book Magazine“Dear Sweet Pea is a truly irresistible story about a family in flux, brimming with humor and heart.” — Rebecca Stead, Newbery Award-winning author of When You Reach M“With gentle humor, ageless wisdom, and charming, genuine characters who represent a diversity of experiences, Murphy’s novel offers all the emotional highs and lows of pitch-perfect middle grade.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)"Murphy succeeds yet again at crafting a touching, quotable coming-of-age story, this time exploring divorce, shifting friendships, crushes, queerness, and much more."  — School Library Journal (starred review)“Endearing and funny… An excellent blend of eccentricity, humor, genuine sweetness, and mild drama.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)Praise for CAMP SYLVANIA: “Murphy renders her camp of fat characters with nuance, giving them unique personalities beyond their size and often pointing out how others’ judgments ignore their full humanity and undermine their confidence….A fun and spooky celebration of fat kids and friendship.” — Kirkus Reviews“Through Maggie’s witty first-person narration, Murphy reveals the fat camp’s horrors, both benign and supernatural, as Maggie, who experiences performance anxiety, realizes that she and her body are just right the way they are. It’s a character-driven summer camp romp that takes on anti-fat bias while underscoring how parents don’t always get things right.” — Publishers WeeklyPraise for CAMP SYLVANIA: “Readers of gentle horror will enjoy the eerier elements, and fans of contemporary middle-grade fiction will be delighted by Maggie’s realization that she’s perfect just the way she is.” — ALA Booklist“Successfully handles tough topics with humor.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books