Free Camping Chaos by Franklin W. Dixon Page A

lanky man in a gray-green ranger’s uniform came into the center of the circle.
    “Hello, everyone! I’m Ranger Gil,” he said in a friendly voice. “I’m glad to see so many of you here for our fall Fun with Camping event. We have lots of great activities lined up for you. But first I want to introduce you to my counselors. They’re both freshmen at Bayport College. Please give it up for Fish and Wendy!”
    Everyone clapped as two older teens stood up and waved. The guy, Fish, was really tall and had spiky brown hair and chunky black glasses. The girl, Wendy, was really short and wore a navy-blue bandana over her messy red curls.
    “I’ve never met anyone named Fish,” Frank whispered to Joe.

    “Maybe his favorite food is fish sticks,” Joe joked.
    Ranger Gil proceeded to go through a long list of important camping rules. They included never using soap in or near streams or ponds and building fires only in existing fireplaces and pits.
    Then he described their schedule for the weekend. “Tonight we’ll have a cookout here at Gooseberry Lodge, followed by our Friday Frightfest movie,” he began. “Tomorrow there’s animal tracking, and Sunday there’s canoeing on Loon Lake. And of course, there’s our big tent-decorating contest!”
    “Did you remember to pack our decorations?” Frank asked Joe in a low voice.
    Joe nodded. “Yup. In my duffel bag.”
    Beatrice turned around. “You guys shouldn’t even bother. I’m totally going to win that contest!” she bragged.

2
The Invasion of the Swamp Monsters
    E xcuse me?” Joe snapped. He glared at Beatrice.
    Joe didn’t know Beatrice really well, since she was two grades ahead in school. But he’d heard from some of the other kids at Bayport Elementary that she could be a big show-off.
    “Yeah, my tent’s going to be amazing,” Beatrice said with a smirk. “It’s going to have a princess theme!”
    “Well, ours is going to be even better,” Joe shot back. “Our theme is—”
    “Shhh. Let’s let Ranger Gil finish talking,” Mr. Hardy whispered, putting his finger to his lips.
    “. . . you’re all welcome to start decorating your tents before dinner. The deadline for finishing is tomorrow by lunch, and the winner will be announced on Sunday,” Ranger Gil was saying. “So! I’ll see you all back here at five for the cookout. That will be followed by a special screening of The Invasion of the Swamp Monsters inside the lodge.”
    Chet pumped his fist in the air. “ Yes! I love that movie. I’ve seen it five times, and I have all the comic books, too.”
    “Big deal. I’ve seen it ten times. And comic books are for babies,” Beatrice said, flipping her long blond hair over her shoulders.
    Chet gave Beatrice a look as though she werecrazy. He was a huge comic book fan, and so were Phil and the Hardys.
    “Is Beatrice obnoxious, or what?” Joe muttered to Frank.
    “Just ignore her,” Frank advised.
    As soon as the welcome meeting was over, Joe and his group started back in the direction of their campsites. As they passed the two counselors, Fish and Wendy, Joe heard Fish say: “So this is your first job as a counselor, huh?”
    “Yeah. Got any advice for me?” Wendy asked him.
    “Just make it superfun for the kids,” Fish replied.
    Sounds perfect, Joe thought. He just hoped that certain campers, like ones named Beatrice, didn’t spoil the fun for everyone else.
    •  •  •  •
    Joe had actually never seen The Invasion of the Swamp Monsters before. As he, Frank, Chet, and Philhuddled together in the darkened lodge snacking on sodas and nacho-cheese-flavored popcorn, Joe found himself more scared than he’d thought he would be. He was secretly glad that his dad was sitting close by, although he would never admit that to anyone.

    All the campers and their parents were in what was called the “great room” of the lodge. At one end of the great room was an enormous stone fireplace. At the other end was a large