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1-55068-119-2 Click here for reading level. This book is part of the Deer Lake series. To read the first chapter of The Accidental Camper, click here. Enjoy! Read an interview with the author, or visit her myspace page. Other Tea Leaf Press books by H.J. Lewis: Summer of Change Who is Mel Randall, Anyway? Distant Cousin Hawk Medicine Hidden Talent The Accidental Camper"I don't know why anyone would want to go canoeing. Or camping." Diana Standing held out her hand. She looked at her perfect red fingernails. "You'd get so dirty. And sleeping on the ground..." She shivered. "That can't be comfortable."The girl sitting beside Diana rolled her eyes. "Oh, yeah, Diana. You'd hate camping. You might break a nail." Mel Randall took a sip of her strawberry milk shake. She looked across the table at her two friends, Diana and Allison. Diana was more her neighbor than her friend. But Diana and Allison were both fourteen. They were the only girls Mel's age in Deer Lake this summer. Mel wanted the three of them to get along. Diana looked at Allison's hand, which was resting on the table. "You know, you should take better care of your nails," Diana told her. Allison's dark eyes flashed. "I have more important things to do with my time." She picked up her milk shake and slurped it loudly. Mel sighed. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, she thought. I shouldn't have invited them to Charlie's ice cream shop. She toyed with a lock of her shoulder-length brown hair. I wanted them to get to know each other. Not start a fight! Diana and Allison were both new to Deer Lake this summer. Diana's family bought the cottage next to the Randalls. Allison's cottage was not far away. Her family owned a small shop called the General Store. Deer Lake was Mel's summer home. The Randall family came here every year. Mel loved it. She wanted Diana and Allison to love it, too. Mel had met Allison first. The two of them hit it off right away. They both loved canoeing and being outdoors. Then Mel met Diana. Diana was interested in things like boys and clothes. She was different from Mel and Allison. But she was nice, and she and Mel got along pretty well. Diana and Allison didn't hit it off at all. They hadn't even tried to be friends. Diana dressed in cute, matching clothes. Allison dressed in rough outdoor gear. Diana liked to read fashion magazines. Allison read books about canoeing and hiking. Both girls had long, straight, dark hair. That was pretty much the only thing they had in common. Mel was tired of hanging out with one friend at a time. She spent one day with Allison. Then she spent the next day with Diana. It's silly, Mel thought to herself. We should just all hang out together. Mel watched Diana and Allison across the table. The two girls stared angrily at each other. What should I do? Mel wondered. I know they are different. But why can't they be friends? Allison slurped her shake again. Diana tapped her fingers on the table. No one spoke. Great, Mel thought to herself. Now they're not speaking. She looked around the room. What can we talk about? She saw a guy standing inside the front door of Charlie's. He was reading the signs and flyers taped up on the wall. Mel had a boyfriend, Will Bergeron. She wasn't interested in the guy by the door. But Diana would be! "Hey, look at that cute guy!" Mel said. Diana's head spun around. Allison rolled her eyes, but she turned around to look. The guy was tanned and looked strong. He wore hiking boots and brown shorts. His T-shirt had a canoe on it. He had wavy, sandy-colored hair. He looked about sixteen. "Hello," said Diana, smoothing her hair. "I'll take an order of him, with fries on the side." Allison looked back at Mel. "Who is that?" "I don't know," said Mel. "He must be new to Deer Lake. Or else he's just visiting." The girls watched as the guy taped a piece of paper to the wall. Then he left the store. Mel could see him through the front window of Charlie's. He stood on the sidewalk, looking up and down the street. Diana jumped up and ran to the front door. "What is she doing?" Allison asked. Diana yanked a piece of paper off the wall. Then she ran back to the table. She slapped the piece of paper down. "I had to see what he was posting," she said. LESSONS: TENNIS, SWIMMING, WATERSKIING. CANOE TRIPS: DAY TRIPS AND OVERNIGHT. Next week: Three-day canoe trip. Ages 10-16. Limited space. Sign up now! To find out more, visit or call the Bailey Bay Inn. "Wow," said Mel. "Mr. Magee is really going all out!" Mr. Magee was the new owner of the Bailey Bay Inn. The Inn had been closed for over twenty years. This summer, Mr. Magee bought the place and fixed it up. The Inn had reopened just last week. "The summer program is a good idea," said Diana. "It will help parents who are staying at the Inn. They can keep their kids busy. Plus Mr. Magee will make more money. He can sell to guests at his hotel and people from Deer Lake." Mel raised her eyebrows. Diana's dad was a rich businessman. Clearly, Diana was learning to think like he did. Suddenly, Mel heard a voice say, "I see you found my flyer." The three girls looked up at the same time. The cute guy was standing right there. "Oh, um, hi," said Mel. "Hi there," Diana said smoothly. "We were just checking out your program." "Great!" said the guy. He smiled at the girls. "I hope you'll sign up for something." "We just might," Diana said. She looked up at him through her eyelashes. Allison choked on her milk shake. "Well, I'm Jake Magee. My uncle owns the Bailey Bay Inn. I'll be working there for the rest of the summer." "I'm Mel Randall," said Mel. "This is Allison Suwan and Diana Standing." "What do you do at the Inn?" Allison asked. "My first job is to go on the three-day canoe trip," Jake said. "I'm one of the trip leaders." Diana leaned forward. "Isn't that funny?" she said. "We were just talking about going on that trip." Mel and Allison looked at each other. Diana shot them a warning look. Then she smiled up at Jake. "Yes," she said quickly. "Canoeing and camping. The three of us do that kind of stuff all the time." |
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