Campfire Mallory

It’s summertime and the Wish Pond Road gang is getting ready to go to Camp Blue Lake. But Mallory’s not so sure she’s up for it. What if she gets homesick or no one likes her? Her best friends try to convince her that swimming, roasting marshmallows, and canoeing will be lots of fun. But when Mallory arrives at camp, nothing goes as planned. She barely sees Mary Ann, and Mallory’s bunkmate won’t leave her alone. Everyone tells Mallory to give camp a chance. She tries . . . and tries. Will Mallory ever find a way to be a happy camper? A G E S 7 - 10 For my parents, who sent me to camp. For my camp friends, who made my days on the shores of Lake Pokegama some of my best. For my editor, who gave me the opportunity to write about it. And for the real Carine. Many thanks to you all . . . —L. B. F. For my mom, the true camper —J. K. by Laurie Friedman illustrations by Jennifer Kalis t Carolrhoda Books, Inc. Minneapolis • New York CONTENTS A Word from Mallory . . . . 6 Good-byes . . . . 8 Pancakes and Packing . . . . 20 On the Bus . . . . 31 Camp Blue Lake . . . . 42 The Lucky Ducks . . . . 55 Letters . . . . 68 Buddy Check . . . . 81 A Bad Day . . . . 97 Bug Bites . . . . 108 Color War . . . . 117 In the Infirmary . . . . 133 A Campfire . . . . 144 Friends Forever . . . . 159 Bus Notes . . . . 168 Camp Pics . . . . 172 A Word from Mallory My name is Mallory McDonald, like the restaurant, but no relation, and you’ll never guess where I’m going! If you guessed to the bathroom, you guessed wrong. I’m going to sleep-away camp! That’s right. I’m going to Camp Blue Lake for two weeks, and I’m not the only one who’s going. My lifelong best friend, Mary Ann, is going. My big brother, Max, is going. My next door neighbor, Joey, is going, and so is his older sister, Winnie. And here’s the thing about all those people I just mentioned: they’re all super excited to go. Mary Ann says she’s excited because she can’t wait to meet new people and go on a camp out. 6 Max says he’s excited because he’ll get to play lots of baseball. Joey says he’s excited because there’s stuff to do that’s even more fun than skateboarding, like canoeing and waterskiing. Even Winnie, who is never excited about anything, says she’s excited to go to camp because there won’t be any grownups there to boss her around. Everyone says they can’t wait for camp to begin. And the thing is . . . they don’t have to wait much longer. The bus for Camp Blue Lake leaves Fern Falls in exactly 2 days, 3 hours, 29 minutes, and I’m not sure how many seconds. But here’s what I am sure about: I don’t know if I want to be on that bus when it leaves because even though part of me is excited to go to camp, most of me is pretty sure I’d much rather stay at home. GOOD-BYES I take papers, pencils, and markers out of my desk and shove them into my backpack. “I can’t believe today is our last day!” I say to my desk mate, Pamela. Pamela takes a stack of folders out of her desk and slides them carefully into her backpack. “It’s sad to think we’ll never be third-graders again,” she says. Joey walks by our desks carrying a big bag of trash. “How can you even use the word sad today? It’s our last day of school, 8 we don’t have to do any more work, we’re about to have a party, and summer vacation starts in two hours.” Even though I’m usually happy about summer vacation, this year things are a little different. Mrs. Daily taps on Chester, her desk frog. “Class, it’s party time!” “Yeah!” lots of voices shout together. Mrs. Daily passes around sugar cookies and lemonade. “Who wants to tell the class what you’re doing this summer?” “I do!” shouts a voice near the trash can. “I’m going to sleep-away camp,” Joey tells the class. “I’m going to Camp Blue Lake for two weeks, and so is Mallory.” Joey looks in my direction and grins. “There are t