The Summer Camp from the Black Lagoon (Black Lagoon Adventures series Book 24) Read online

  But it’s time to go canoeing.

  I’ve never been in a boat before.

  I hope I don’t get seasick.

  48

  49

  CHAPTER 13

  WHAT’S CANOE

  WITH YOU?

  We all line up and Buzz gives

  us each a life preserver and a

  paddle.

  Then he assigns us a canoe,

  two by two.

  Jerry and I are shipmates, and

  we climb in.

  “Whoa!”

  50

  51

  It’s like getting into a hammock.

  We both finally flop down in seats.

  I’m in the back, so I have to steer.

  But there’s no steering wheel.

  Buzz shows us how to steer with

  our paddles.

  Cool.

  Jerry and I decide to paddle

  along the shore. That way, if we

  sink, we can walk home. Hey,

  some kids are going out to the

  center of the lake. I wonder what’s

  out there.

  53

  It’s boring along the shore, so

  we paddle out after them. Soon

  we’re in the middle of the lake.

  It’s like being in the center of the

  world, or outer space. The sun

  sparkles on the water like stars.

  We can’t even see the shore.

  54

  I bet it’s deep out here. At least

  a hundred miles down.

  Other kids paddle by and splash

  us with their paddles.

  “Let’s get them back.”

  We paddle fast and catch them.

  Soon we’re in the middle of a

  great sea paddle battle!

  I’m Sir Frances Drake, and

  they’re the Spanish Armada.

  We would have won, but Buzz

  blows his whistle and we have to

  come in.

  Tomorrow we’ll have another

  great battle, but for now, let’s just

  dry off.

  55

  CHAPTER 14

  YAY, CAMP SHERWOOD

  That afternoon, we make

  lanyards, see a woodpecker, and

  play volleyball.

  For dinner, we build a campfire.

  Buzz shows us how to start a fire

  without matches. He says you can

  use a magnifying glass to focus

  the sun’s rays. This doesn’t work

  too well at night. Jerry wants to

  try it with his glasses and the

  moon. Bummer.

  56

  57

  Instead, you can strike a piece

  of flint on a stone.

  Also, you can spin a stick so fast

  on leaves that the friction starts a

  fire.

  “But that takes an hour and I’m

  hungry,” says Buzz, reaching into

  his back pocket and pulling out a

  match.

  58

  Soon we have a roaring fire

  and are roasting hot dogs and

  marshmallows on sticks. Jerry

  and I put a marshmallow at each

  end of a hot dog and call it a

  marshdog. Soon all the kids are

  making marshdogs and we’re

  heroes.

  After dinner, we all sit around

  the campfire singing, and then

  when it gets really dark, Buzz

  tells us a ghost story.

  59

  60

  CHAPTER 15

  PLAYING CHICKEN

  The ghost story is about a

  mad scientist who takes a living

  chicken heart and gives it

  vitamins.

  Thump, thump . . .

  It grows bigger . . .

  Thump, thump . . .

  And bigger . . .

  Until it fills up the whole

  laboratory.

  Thump, thump.

  Then it eats the scientist, which

  really makes him mad, and the

  chicken heart thumps out into the

  night looking for another snack.

  Thump, thump!

  Then Buzz puts his flashlight

  under his chin and clicks it on.

  “And now . . . it’s here!” he

  shouts.

  When all of our hearts stop

  thumping, we walk back to our

  cabins under the stars.

  I climb into my bunk. I don’t

  want to go to sleep. I don’t want

  this day to end. I don’t want this

  week to end. I wish I could stay

  at camp longer.

  As I close my eyes, I hear the

  night. I hear all the creatures that

  are lucky enough to be at camp

  all summer.

  And I think I can even hear the

  stars.

  64

  www.MikeThaler.com

  www.scholastic.com

  www.scholastic.com/readinglevel