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| Topher Bradfield | |
When The Lightning Thief debuted in June of 2005, a young avid Percy Jackson fan asked BookPeople's Topher Bradfield, "Wouldn't it be cool to go to Camp Half-Blood for real?"
Bradfield responded by kicking off one session of Camp Half-Blood in the summer of 2006 in Austin, Tex., with 52 attendees. This summer, the bookstore will hold eight weeks of camp, with 100-110 attendees per week. In addition to Camp Half-Blood, BookPeople also hosts Camp Kane (based on Riordan's The Kane Chronicles), and last year he introduced the Norse myths–themed Magnus Chase story line into the camps. Bradfield also consulted with the founders of a Camp Half-Blood in Brooklyn and Camp Demigod in Point Roberts, Wash., near Vancouver.
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| Heather Herbert | |
"We're boning up on our Norse books; we've bought more Norse myths than you can imagine," said Heather Herbert, manager of Children's Book World, Haverford, Penn. "Disney does a great job of prepping everyone, so our customers know months in advance [about a new Rick Riordan release]. Herbert describes a "low hum" the month before a new Riordan book comes in, and the store starts getting calls in the days leading up to the release date. "The day before, they'll call and ask, 'Did you get anything early?' " Herbert reported.
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| Kimberley Jones | |
Kimberly Jones, store manager of Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, Ga., also describes having "a huge Rick Riordan fan base." Jones said, "Last time we hosted Rick, in fall 2014, we held the event at an auditorium that held 1,200 kids. We probably could have filled that auditorium twice." People drove from all over Georgia to attend. Little Shop of Stories also organizes summer book-related camps, including Camp Kane and Camp Half-Blood. "Parents slept outside the store overnight to sign up," Jones said. "We sold out within 40 minutes."
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| Melissa Fox | |
At Watermark Books in Wichita, Kan., children's event coordinator Melissa Fox is planning a Greek Mythology Party on August 22, timed for the Saturday after Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes is released. "My kids, who are huge fans, are over-the-moon excited," Fox said. She often finds out from them when a new Riordan book is coming. "Have you heard about the new Magnus Chase?" they'll ask her. "Rick's got a huge Internet presence. A lot of his readers are younger than Twitter and Tumblr users," Fox said, explaining, "They often find out from their older siblings."
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| Valerie Lewis | |
Valerie Lewis, co-owner of Hicklebee's in San Jose, Calif., has already started promoting Magnus Chase. Anyone who pre-purchases the book (before October 5) will get a 20% discount. Lewis remembers meeting Rick Riordan 10 years ago in San Francisco in a little bar. "I was meeting him so I could take him to an NCIBA event, and introduce him to the other booksellers," Lewis recalled. "It doesn't seem that long ago. Now he's a schoolhold name and a household name. It's been really fun watching him ride this roller coaster since then."