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Camp Prodigy: A Young Readers Tale of Music and Nonbinary Friendship

Caroline Palmer's Camp Prodigy is a Young Readers graphic novel about music and nonbinary friendship at a music camp, out on June 11th



Article Summary

  • Explore 'Camp Prodigy', a graphic novel about music and nonbinary teens at a summer camp.
  • Meet Tate and Eli, nonbinary protagonists facing their own personal musical challenges.
  • Discover how friendship helps overcome performance anxiety and self-doubt.
  • Created by nonbinary artist Caroline Palmer, launching on June 11th.

Camp Prodigy is a new Atheneum for Young Readers graphic novel by Caroline Palmer about two teenagers who meet and bond at a music summer camp and bond over their musical talent and gender identities. After attending an incredible concert, Tate Seong is inspired to become a professional violist. There's just one problem: they're the worst musician at their school. Tate doesn't even have enough confidence to assert themself with their friends or come out as nonbinary to their family, let alone attempt a solo anytime soon. Things start to look up when Tate attends a summer orchestra camp— Camp Prodigy—and runs into Eli, the remarkable violist who inspired Tate to play in the first place.

But Eli has been hiding their skills ever since their time in the spotlight gave them a nervous breakdown. Together, can they figure out how to turn Tate into a star and have Eli overcome their performance anxieties? Or will the pressure take them both down?

Camp Prodigy: A New Young Readers Graphi
"Camp Prodigy" cover art courtesy of Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Camp Prodigy: A Story for Overachievers

While Tate is trying to learn something they are not naturally good at and must persevere through the challenges, Eli has to navigate the nervous breakdowns they are facing from the self-enforced pressure of being a prodigy violist. This is a phenomenal book for young readers who feel similar pressures in their own lives and it helps dismantle how we think about our achievements and being "good" at something.

Tate and Eli are two nonbinary main characters who are the stars of their own story. They are two sides of the same coin and both characters offer something new and compelling for young readers. The story is both specific to the nonbinary experience, like coming out to one's parents, and the universal experiences of being a kid, like the anxiety that comes with performing publicly or navigating middle-school friendships.

Camp Prodigy is a sweet story taking place in the familiar setting of summer camp, but it has gorgeous illustrations to match. Caroline's artwork is vibrant and endlessly charming. Their art is super appealing and brings an incredible amount of energy to the page.

Camp Prodigy: A Young Readers Graphic Novel about Nonbinary Friends
"Camp Prodigy" creator self-portrait by Caroline Palmer courtesy of Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Caroline Palmer (they/them) is a nonbinary comic creator whose work has been published in the comics anthology A Taste of Home (2020) by Level Ground Comics, and their Webtoon series Talent de Lune since 2016 has been running since 2016.

Camp Prodigy goes on sale June 11th  in both hardcover and paperback editions.


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Adi TantimedhAbout Adi Tantimedh

Adi Tantimedh is a filmmaker, screenwriter and novelist. He wrote radio plays for the BBC Radio, “JLA: Age of Wonder” for DC Comics, “Blackshirt” for Moonstone Books, and “La Muse” for Big Head Press. Most recently, he wrote “Her Nightly Embrace”, “Her Beautiful Monster” and “Her Fugitive Heart”, a trilogy of novels featuring a British-Indian private eye published by Atria Books, a division Simon & Schuster.
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