The best memories I have from my childhood are from sleep-away summer camp. Sure I grew up on a block with lots of kids. Sure we played sports every day and rode our bikes to the pond and to the pizza and ice cream shops in the neighborhood. But the really good times, the childhood adventures that most stick with me, the memories that are firmly and forever embedded in my mind are the ones from camp. The friends from camp. The first girlfriend, the canoe trip and overnight. The goal I scored in the intercamp soccer game. Flying wedgies and late night raids. Freedom from parents!!!! These are the things that are summer camp. These are the things that go into making our children's childhood memories. I have three boys of my own and the two things I wish for them more than anything else is that they be happy and independent. I believe going away to camp for a month or two every summer goes a long way towards meeting those goals.

To bring back those memeories (adults and teanagers) I decided to write a book called "Summer Sleep Away".

The book tells the story of a young boy's first summer going off to sleep-away camp. Far from home, separated from his family and not knowing a soul, Mattie Kleinfeld is scared, homesick and cries himself to sleep. But soon the tears give way to new friends and fantastic adventures. Mattie goes hiking and fishing. He sails and swims and participates in team sports. But it is not the canoe trips or the overnights that set this summer apart; it is not even his first girlfriend. It is a clue that he and his pals stumble upon that leads them to the adventure of a lifetime, to a vast treasure and to a window that sheds light on Mattie's unique background. Mattie's story will engage the imagination of every reader and capture the heart of any adult who was ever a kid.

Part of my inspiration was growing up in a camping family. My parents operated summer camps in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts for over 15 years. The adventures and anecdotes in this book, although fictionalized, are my boyhood memories.