Q&A with Liz Montague

 

 

 

Liz Montague is the author and illustrator of the new middle grade graphic novel Camp Frenemies. Her other books include School for Unusual Magic: The Equinox Test. She lives in New Jersey. 

 

Q: What inspired you to create Camp Frenemies, and how did you come up with the ideas for your characters Beatrice, Roxy, and Virginia?

 

A: I’d wanted to write a story about a girl with a stuffed rabbit for a while but I knew I wanted to set it at summer camp after a conversation I had with my husband.

 

He had a stay-at-home mom growing up so he always spent his summers at home with her but both of my parents worked full-time so I spent my summers at camp. It wasn’t until we were talking about it that I realized how much I appreciated camp and that I actually got a lot out of my time there.

 

Camp was really my first taste of independence as a child and I wanted to give that experience to these characters. It’s not like school where there are a lot of other variables at play with teachers, grades, sports, pre-existing friend groups, etc.—camp is its own world and ecosystem unlike anything else.

When I sat down and actually started creating this story, Beatrice became the girl with the stuffed rabbit who all of a sudden was expected to grow up and leave her security blanket behind.

 

Camp was the natural place for her to start being challenged and asking herself hard questions and, in the midst of that, her cabin-mates Roxy and Virginia really organically emerged.

 

They each have independent journeys of trying to make sense of how they fit in their respective worlds now that, as they go into 7th grade, expectations are starting to change.

 

Roxy and Virginia ended up becoming much more central to the story than I’d initially intended; they went from side characters to main characters right along with Beatrice!

Q: How would you describe the dynamic among the three characters?

A: I wanted them to all be really different but without anyone being the “bad guy.” In life there are so many situations where you’re thrown together with people and have to just figure it out and I really wanted to explore that.

 

Beatrice is used to keeping to herself and doing her own thing, whereas Virginia is very loud and outspoken, and Roxy tends to be mild and just wants to keep the peace. I have two older sisters so this is a dynamic I know well and was really excited to dig into.

 

At the heart of it they’re three very different kids who have their own separate things going on. They all come into the summer with very different perspectives and those clashes are really what ends up creating the drama.

 

Q: What do you hope kids take away from the story?

A: I hope that readers are willing to give people more of a chance. Maybe someone isn’t the worst person ever to exist, maybe you just caught them on a bad day or they have things going on that you don’t know anything about. People are complicated and nuanced and I hope exploring these characters helps kids to allow space for that in real life.

 

I also hope they don’t feel as pressured to instantly change or “grow up” in ways that don’t feel genuine. To this day I still have all my Build-A-Bears and American Girl Dolls. I keep them on a bookshelf in my office and I’m really glad I kept them.

Q: What are some of your other favorite novels set at summer camp?

A: It’s not a novel but the beginning of the movie The Parent Trap when they’re at summer camp is one of my favorite things ever. I think I read a Babysitters Club book that took place at camp forever ago.

 

I can think of a lot of summer books, like The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants—which I was obsessed with, but I can’t think of any other camp books that I’ve read (though I admittedly was not a huge reader as a kid!).

Q: What are you working on now?

A: Right now I’m working on what will happen next summer but I’m not sure how much I’m allowed to say about it :). I’m also finishing up the final touches for my final School For Unusual Magic book that comes out in November!

Q: Anything else we should know?

A: I hope everyone has a lovely summer and spends some time in the sun doing something fun. Maybe go in the attic and dust off a cherished Beanie Baby, Barbie, or American Girl Doll so they can join you. :)

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Liz Montague.