Adventures at Camp Lots-o-Fun by Marilyn Helmer

CHAPTER ONE
C AMP N OT - SO -F UN
    DJ sat on the bottom bunk, chewing the end of his pencil. He read over what he had written.
    Dear Lots-o-Fun Journal,
    Here I am at Camp Lots-o-Fun. Me and the other guys in Cabin Six call it Camp Not-so-Fun. It’s on Great Bear Lake. But we can’t go swimming or canoeing or any of that fun stuff. It’s been raining since we got here. Some of the puddles are so big there are creepy crawlers in them. There are bugs and mosquitoes all over the place!
    Chris sprayed our cabin with Bug-Be-Gone. He’s our counselor. His hair is so long he wears it in a ponytail. He has big muscles too. He showed us his biceps. They look like boulders. You don’t want to mess with Chris. I hope the Bug-Be-Gone works. I saw a cockroach in the dining hall this morning. Raj said it was a cricket, but he didn’t have his glasses on. I know a cockroach when I see one.
    Buggily yours,
DJ

    DJ looked at the other boys in Cabin Six. Raj, Ernie and Andrew were sprawled on the floor, making their journals. DJ had finished his yesterday. He had also made a monkey mask, a bucket hat and a rock paperweight. He was tired of crafts.
    DJ glanced at the rain-streaked window. Wait a minute. Something yellow peeked through the trees. DJ shot to his feet. “The sun’s out!” he shouted.
    Chris opened the door. “Looks like it’s clearing up. Get your rain gear, guys. We’re going for a hike.”
    The boys scrambled for their jackets and boots. DJ rummaged through his duffel bag. His fingers touched something soft. He started to pull it out. When he realized it wasn’t his rain jacket, he shoved it back into his bag.
    â€œDJ, hurry up. We’re waiting to go,” said Andrew. He swiped his dark hair off his forehead.
    â€œI’m looking for my rain jacket,” said DJ. He remembered taking the jacket out of his bag to pack something else. Something he had decided to bring at the last minute. But had he remembered to put his jacket back in?
    â€œYou did bring a jacket, right?” Chris asked.
    â€œI think I forgot it,” said DJ.
    â€œThere’s a Lost and Found in the dining hall,” said Chris. “See if you can find something there.”
    The Lost and Found was crammed full. DJ found a jacket among the jumble and pulled it out.
    The jacket was bright green. Across the front, in big letters, were the words Girl Power . DJ groaned. He couldn’t wear that jacket. The guys would laugh at him.
    DJ stared at the letters. He dashed to the supply cupboard and grabbed a roll of red tape. He taped over the word Girl . Then he taped the word Man after Power .
    â€œDid you find something?” Chris asked through the screen door.
    â€œYup,” DJ shouted back. He shrugged into the jacket and ran outside. “Meet—Power Man!” he said, pumping his fists in the air.

CHAPTER TWO
B EAR S CARE !
    The hike was fun, even if the woods were wet.
    DJ led the way. His red hair was curlier than usual from the dampness. It stuck out the sides of his baseball cap. DJ didn’t care. He liked his hair the way it was.
    Thoughts raced through DJ’s mind. He could climb the tallest tree. He could leap over the biggest rock. Power Man wasn’t afraid of anything.
    DJ spotted an empty bird’s nest, high in an old dead tree. “Power Man can climb up and get it,” he said.
    â€œNo way,” said Chris. “I want Power Man on the ground where I can keep an eye on him.”
    DJ sighed. What was the fun of being Power Man if he couldn’t do any power stuff?
    The boys stopped to rest in a grassy clearing. Chris passed out juice boxes and granola bars.
    Andrew sat across from DJ, gobbling down his granola bar. DJ thought Andrew had the biggest teeth he had ever seen. No wonder he could eat so fast.
    â€œLet’s play I Spy,” said Andrew, brushing crumbs from his mouth. “I’ll go first. I spy something that begins