.png)
FXBG Neighbors Podcast
Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast
FXBG Neighbors Podcast
EP #77 How a Fredericksburg Adventure Book Help Kids Thrive
A troll who loves snacks, a dragon with good intentions, and a city full of stories—this conversation lifts the curtain on how reading support can be both deeply personal and wildly fun. We welcome educator and author Jacquelene D'Amico, founder of Smart Cookies Education Services, to share how individualized tutoring turns reluctant readers into confident communicators and why local settings can spark big learning moments.
We walk through Smart Cookies’ one-to-one model and why a confidence-first philosophy outperforms one-size-fits-all curricula. Jacquelene explains how she targets handwriting, phonics, grammar, language arts, and essay writing for every learner—from preschoolers sounding out blends to teens writing personal statements. Then we step into The Adventures of Trollee and Alice, her new children’s book that transforms Fredericksburg landmarks into a playground for imagination and vocabulary growth. Bolded “tricky words” and a back-of-book guide make it easy for kids to expand their word banks while parents and teachers enjoy literary nods to classics like Alice in Wonderland.
You’ll hear how summer writing workshops weave games, themes, and snacks into practical skill-building that actually sticks. We also explore the book’s deeper heart: values like kindness, integrity, confidence, and optimism—and how a moving personal loss shaped its message about memory, love, and what truly lasts. With shoutouts to beloved local shops and venues now carrying the book, this is a love letter to community, storytelling, and the art of helping kids feel brave with words.
If you care about literacy, tutoring, children’s books, or the Fredericksburg creative scene, you’ll find ideas you can use tonight—whether that’s a playful vocabulary routine or a new way to talk about big feelings. Listen, share with a friend, and tell us which local landmark you’d love to see in Trollee’s next adventure. Subscribe, leave a review, and help more neighbors discover the show.
The Adventures of Trollee and Alice:
📸 Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/author_jacquelene_damico/
📚 Website: www.jacquelenedamico.com
📖 Facebook: facebook.com/trolleeandalice
Smart Cookies Education Services:
📖 Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/SmartCookiesEducation/
📚 Website:https://smartcookiesedu.wixsite.com/education
Jacquelene D'Amico
Smart Cookies Education Services
smartcookiesedu.wixsite.com/education
smart.cookies.education@gmail.com
This is the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Dori Stewart.
Speaker 1:Welcome back to another episode of the FXBG Neighbors Podcast, where we share the stories of our favorite local brands. I have a special guest joining me today. We have Jacquelene D'Amico with Smart Cookies Education Services. Jacquelene, welcome to the podcast. Great. Thank you so much. Well, I am really looking forward to this interview and learning more about you and your business. So let's start off by sharing with the listeners a little bit about Smart Cookies Education Services.
Speaker 2:Okay, great. At Smart Cookies, we are passionate about helping students from preschool through college become confident readers and writers, mainly through providing tutoring sessions, both virtual and in person. And this includes everything from handwriting, phonics, grammar to language arts, essay writing, research papers, and even helping prepare college application essays.
Speaker 1:Amazing. Such a needed service. So thank you for offering this as a parent for our kids. So tell me a little bit, let's dive a little bit deeper and tell me what sets you apart from other tutoring services.
Speaker 2:Well, our two main differences are that we focus on the individual and we emphasize building confidence. So other tutoring centers use a fixed curriculum and push group tutoring sessions, but we evaluate each student's needs and then tailor each one-on-one session to that student. So it's not a one-size uh fits-all method. We also focus on building confidence because when kids feel good about learning and about themselves, um, learning and homework stops doing like a chore. So we try to instill this love of learning. We try to make it fun and this this love of learning that can be applied to across all subject areas.
Speaker 1:Awesome. Awesome. That's that's amazing. I love that. And so I'd love to learn more about you. Tell me about your journey. How did you get into this? I need to know.
unknown:Okay.
Speaker 2:Well, I started Smart Cookies in 2021 after, you know, seeing the negative effects that COVID had on education, uh, especially when it came to reading. And at the time I was homeschooling my daughter, and through connecting with other homeschool families, I realized there was such a need for extra reading support. So I began offering one-on-one tutoring in small group classes, and it's just grown from beyond there. It's been incredibly rewarding to build relationships with families that extend beyond our tutoring sessions.
Speaker 1:It's been really fun. That's amazing. What do you love most about what you do? What's your favorite part?
Speaker 2:Favorite part. Um, honestly, other than just getting to know families, my favorite part has to be our themed summer writing workshops that we hold at the Ground Speed Stro, right here in Stafford, uh, outside of Embry Mill. And we go all out with the themes. Um, one year was a pirate workshop complete with like walking the plank and pirate hats. And um, this summer I'm very excited because the workshop will be based on a book. Um, my book, The Adventures Trollee and Alice, which just came out in June. So there will be lots and lots of snacks, marshmallows, games, and just an overall great opportunity for kids with a risk.
Speaker 1:That's amazing. So, yeah, you mentioned a new book. So uh tell us all about it. It sounds exciting. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Thank you. Well, it all started on a cloudy, windy day at the playground playing with my daughter and pretending to be a snack-deprived troll that lived under a troll bridge named Trollee. And Trollee, this game Trollee, grew into all sorts of adventures around Fredericksburg. And we had the new characters like Perry Winkle, um, this dragon. Um, she means well, but she can't resist eating a few chickens at Brayhead Farm. And she just has snack sedents all the time. And so I began jotting down our local adventures and just turned them into stories and started reading them to my kids. I love that.
Speaker 1:Snack it in. Okay, so you mentioned Brayhead Farm. So I love the local flair here. So, what uh local places kind of influenced the book?
Speaker 2:Well, a lot of local places, um, such as the chapter A Dragon-sized belly ache, Perry Wingle has a snack sedan at Brayhead Farm, and Chatham Manor's Goldfish Pond is featured in this chapter. And Belmont's preschool palette program inspired the last chapter, A Memorable Masterpiece, where the characters fly into a Vincent Van Gogh painting. Um, and the downtown library, the the branch appears on the map illustration and inspired the chapter Lava in the Library. So a lot of local, local places mentioned throughout.
Speaker 1:I love it. It sounds like a really fun book. I love it. Thank you. Awesome. So um, what uh age group do you recommend for the book?
Speaker 2:Um, it's mainly for children in about uh first to fifth grade, but honestly, I think adults can enjoy it as well. They might like finding the literary references throughout, such as Alice in Wonderland, where the wild things are, um, different books like that, and even some symbolism with Alice's ribbon and sunflowers that older readers might pick up on and enjoy.
Speaker 1:I love that. I love that you thought of the parents reading the book too, so they can enjoy reading it to their kids and have just as much fun. I love that. Thank you.
Speaker 2:Yes, a lot of snacks, like I mentioned, because I feel like kids are always hungry.
Speaker 1:Yes. So I think they'd have fun. Awesome. What would you say is the key takeaway of the book?
Speaker 2:Um, I think everyone will everyone will take something a little different away from the book. Um, some might enjoy the stories, while some might connect more with the learning side. Um, I think what makes it unique is that it's not just fun stories that kids can laugh at and relate to. It encourages values such as integrity, kindness, self-confidence, and optimism. And so I hope it helps kids handle challenges like standing up to bullies or working through big emotions like anger, which I show through a volcanic eruption in the library. And um, another thing is that it's a learning tool. So these words, these challenging words are printed throughout and they're bold. And in the back of the book is Trollee's guide to tricky words. And so the children will be able to find the parts of speech, the definition, and the pronunciation. And so it's really a way to build reading confidence and grow vocabulary while they're enjoying the stories. So I think you know, some people might connect with that learning side. Um, but on a deeper level, my mom passed away from cancer while I was writing it, which really made me reflect on life and guided the entire writing process. Um, so more than anything, I just hope readers remember, Trollee tells Alice, um, that the memories of the people you love stay in your heart. And the things that truly matter, like faith, hope, love, uh, the time invested in our children, the invisible yet very real things last beyond this lifetime. And um, any time spent with our kids is just never, never wasted.
Speaker 1:I love that. So many important lessons. Yes. What great timing. This is going to be such a great Christmas gift for the little ones. I love that. Thank you. I really hope so. Yeah. So you clearly have a love for the Fredericksburg area. How long have you lived in the area? I've been here.
Speaker 2:I've met my husband here in college. I've been here for so long. Um, I can't even, you know, I grew up here. So it really has holds a special place in my heart. Amazing. What are some of the things that you love about Fredericksburg? I love the community. Um, I've met so many talented local authors, wonderful readers, and just supportive business owners. I mean, local shops, I'm I'm so excited that I've been able to meet so many local shop owners and they they want to carry this book, and it means so much to me. Like the owner of Jabberwocky, Du Jardin, Tales and Tales, the Book Market, Brayhead Farm, and soon Agora, Downtown Coffee, and Gary Melcher's Belmont will be carrying it. And so I just think that's very special the the community support in Fredericksburg.
Speaker 1:That's amazing. I love that. I love that uh your book has been received with open arms, and it's clearly why it uh sounds like a really wonderful book. Thank you. You're welcome. So tell us if the listeners want to learn more about the book or want to connect with you, how can they find you?
Speaker 2:They can go to the website jacquelendemico.com, and that's J-A-C-Q-U-E-L E-N-E D-A-M-I-C-O.com. And you can find links to my Instagram and Facebook pages where I'll share updates on fun author events and behind the scenes inspiration.
Speaker 1:Amazing, amazing. Well, I can't wait to get my hands on the book and congratulations on the success of the book. It's really exciting. I can't wait to read it, and thank you so much for joining me on the podcast. Thank you. I appreciate it.
Speaker:Thank you for listening to the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to FXBG Neighbors Podcast.com.