'Divergent' summer camp will be held in Illinois
Illinois bookstore Anderson's Bookshops is hosting three five-day sessions of a 'Divergent' camp this summer. Each day will focus on a different faction from author Veronica Roth's book series.
Illinois bookstore Anderson's Bookshops is hosting three five-day sessions of a 'Divergent' camp this summer. Each day will focus on a different faction from author Veronica Roth's book series.
Fans of the 鈥淒ivergent鈥� series by Veronica Roth can read the books and immerse themselves in Roth鈥檚 world via the new film adaptation of the first book in the series. And now Illinois devotees will have the chance to live in Roth鈥檚 world (the more benign aspects of it, anyway).
Anderson鈥檚 Bookshops, which is based in Naperville, Ill., has created a five-day camp session for 鈥淒ivergent鈥� fans that will be held this summer at a museum near the store called Naper Settlement. Three of the five-day sessions will be held in June, July, and August, respectively.
During the camp, which is aimed at tweens and teens, according to Publishers Weekly, campers will participate in activities based on the factions in Roth鈥檚 books. For example, one day will highlight the Abnegation faction, members of which are known for their selflessness in 鈥淒ivergent,鈥� and campers will compile food packages to send to Africa. On a day centering on the Erudite faction, whose members are known for their intelligence, campers will work on brain teasers. The day centering on the Candor faction will have local politicians tell campers the importance of morality and Amity Day will find them planting vegetables. On the day focusing on the Dauntless faction, the group to which 鈥淒ivergent鈥� heroine Tris belongs, campers will learn mixed martial arts.
Campers will also discuss other dystopian novels like the 鈥淚n the After鈥� series by Demitria Lunetta and the 鈥淭esting鈥� books by Joelle Charbonneau, said Anderson鈥檚 Bookshops co-owner Becky Anderson, who told PW that Charbonneau and Lunetta will hopefully stop by the camp and that Roth herself might even make an appearance (no definite answer from the author yet, though).
Anderson said she got the idea for the sessions after hearing about the camps sponsored by the indie bookstore BookPeople, which is based in Austin, Texas. The store has hosted a camp based on Rick Riordan鈥檚 鈥淧ercy Jackson鈥� series for the past seven years, in addition to hosting a camp centered around the 鈥淩anger鈥檚 Apprentice鈥� books by John Flanagan for the past four.
As for the camp based on Roth's books, 鈥渂y the time you鈥檙e done with the week, you鈥檙e definitely Divergent,鈥� Anderson said, referencing the status in which residents of Roth鈥檚 world belong to more than one faction. 鈥淵ou鈥檒l learn something in the process and have a great time.鈥�