Camped Out

Daphne Greer

Description

This is the second story featuring Max and Duncan after Maxed Out

Max knows his mom can't afford to send him to summer camp. But he really, really wants to go. He needs a break from looking after his autistic brother, Duncan. And from his mom's new boyfriend. He is surprised when his mom says that he can go after all. But there's a catch. There are spots available at the camp for families with special needs. A grant would cover Duncan's fees, and Max could attend at no charge. If he goes as Duncan's escort.

Sujets

• Juvenilee Fiction
• ELL
• Teaching English as a foreign language
• ASD
• English as a foreign or second language
• Family
• EAL
• Electronic Sports League
• Estonian Air

Informations

• Publié par: Orca Book Publishers
• Date de parution: 10 octobre 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9781459815438
• Langue: English

Extrait

Copyright 2017 Daphne Greer
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Greer, Daphne, author Camped out / Daphne Greer. (Orca currents)
Issued in print and electronic formats. ISBN 978-1-4598-1541-4 (softcover).- ISBN 978-1-4598-1542-1 (pdf).- ISBN 978-1-4598-1543-8 (epub)
I. Title. II. Series: Orca currents PS 8613. R 4452 C 36 2017 j C 813'.6 C 2017-900835-8 C 2017-900836-6
First published in the United States, 2017 Library of Congress Control Number: 2017933013
Summary: In this high-interest novel for middle readers, Max can only go to summer camp if he takes his autistic brother with him.

Orca Book Publishers is dedicated to preserving the environment and has printed this book on Forest Stewardship Council certified paper.
Orca Book Publishers gratefully acknowledges the support for its publishing programs provided by the following agencies: the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund and the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.
Edited by Tanya Trafford Cover photography by iStock.com Author photo by Sharon Alexander
ORCA BOOK PUBLISHERS www.orcabook.com
Printed and bound in Canada.
20 19 18 17 4 3 2 1
To Big Cove Camp for the best memories. Ever.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Acknowledgments
Chapter One
Is that you, Max? Mom calls from the living room. She must have heard me slam the fridge door a little too hard.
Yup, I sigh.
Come say hello to Derek! she shouts. Duncan s already been down. Laughter drifts down the hallway. I m still not used to a guy laughing in our house-with Mom. Reluctantly I make my way toward the living room, poke my head in and say, Hey. Then turn to leave.
Max, Mom says. Don t leave in such a hurry.
I turn around and stand with my arms folded. The two of them are sitting way too close to each other on the couch.
What are you up to tonight there, champ? Derek asks, as if he s known me my entire life.
Nothing, really. Ian and I are going to shoot pucks outside.
Derek glances at Mom.
Oh, right, Mom says. I was wondering if you wouldn t mind hanging out with Duncan. We were hoping to catch a movie.
You d be a real trouper if you could, Derek says, then winks at me.
Even though it s been two years since Dad died, it still feels like yesterday. Derek is the first guy Mom s dated since Dad. The grief counselor said it would be good for her to try moving forward. I guess this is what that looks like. Problem is, Mom doesn t always see the same things I see.
I want to punch him.
Instead I say, Yup.
Shortly after Mom and Derek head out to the movies, the back doorbell rings.
Doorbell, Duncan announces from where he s sitting at the kitchen table. He carries on eating his snack.
It s Ian, I say. I ll be outside if you need me.
I like Ian, Duncan whispers.
He likes you too, bud.
Ian greets me with his lopsided grin and a handful of new hockey pucks. Scored these!
Sweet.
Want to head up to the school to shoot pucks instead of here?
Can t. Mom went out with Derek. I have to stay with Duncan.
Man, he seems to be hanging around a lot lately, Ian says as he follows me out back to the shed where we keep the hockey net.
Tell me about it. He s such a moron. I have no clue what she sees in him. He s nothing like Dad.
Is he really that bad?
Well, for starters, his shoes are way too shiny, and he acts like he s a hotshot. If he winks at me one more time I m going to lose it. I swing my hockey stick into the air.
Why don t we take Duncan with us? Ian suggests.
Nah, it will take him too long to get ready, and by the time we get there, he ll want to come home and then-
Man, Derek has you totally bummed out. Ian lets out a big, loud, rip-roaring burp. Braaaaaaaaaaaaaaap! Then he nudges me as he drops one of the pucks. Forget about him.
Ian passes me the puck. I give it a good whack into the net and try to forget about Derek for a bit.
Hey, Ian says between one of his shots. Did you ask your mom about going to camp yet?
Yeah, but she hasn t given me an answer. Said she d know more later on this week.
Oh man, I hope you can come. Ian takes a drink from his water bottle. Hey, remember that girl I told you about last summer? Well, she ll be there with her best friend. They go every year. Ian nudges me. You never know this might be the summer we finally get girlfriends!
I don t think you can order one up like that. For real.
You never know, Ian says, stealing the puck from me.
After school the next day Duncan keeps turning up the volume on his TV . He likes to thrash around in his room during the fight scenes, following the movements of Spider-Man and the bad guys.
I know he can t help himself, but he s been playing the same scene over and over again, and it s driving me crazy. I decide to go downstairs to get away from the noise. When I m on the bottom step, I overhear Mom and Duncan s support worker talking in the living room. Mom keeps mentioning Derek s name. I tiptoe down the hallway to try to hear what they re talking about.
I m not sure I can convince Max.
Let s give him some time to think about it. The deadline isn t for a couple of days. I ve got the funding secured, Alison says. And if I can help in any way with Max, please let me know.
What do I need help with? I don t need a support worker. Alison is for Duncan, not me! I barge into the living room.
Oh, Max, Mom says, almost dropping her mug of tea. Are you okay?
I heard you guys saying something about me needing help.
What have I told you about listening to other people s conversations? We re not talking about you needing help. We re talking about summer camp.
Really? Ian s mom must have called her. Now I feel stupid.
Mom pats the couch with her hand. Come sit, so Alison can tell you about it.
I plunk myself down next to Mom.
Well, there s a three-week camp I think you might enjoy, Alison says.
I turn to Mom. Are you serious? Is it the same one Ian is going to?
Slow down, Mom says, squeezing my hand. Yes, it s the same one but-
I want to go to camp, Duncan interrupts.
I d been so caught up in the conversation I hadn t noticed Duncan standing in the doorway. He has this ability to suddenly appear out of nowhere. It s like he has radar hearing and knows we re talking about something he might want to be in on.
Duncan, this one is for me, bud. Besides, they don t have TV s at camp-you wouldn t like it.
Actually, Alison says, clearing her throat, your mom hasn t had a chance to tell you this yet, but in order to make camp a possibility we had to get creative.
What do you mean?
When I looked into the camp fees, Mom says, I realized we couldn t afford it, but I couldn t bring myself to tell you, so I talked to Alison about it, and she came up with a great solution.
So what are you saying?
Well, Alison says, Little Cove has several spots each year to help accommodate special family needs. If you and Duncan go together, you would be considered his escort-which means your camp fee would be waived. Duncan s fee is automatically covered by a grant we receive each year.
And there was the catch. Her words hang in the air before slamming into me like a cross-check into the boards. Alison s face is full of hope as she looks at me. I know she s only doing her job, but seriously. Going to camp with Duncan? He won t last a day without his movies.
I turn to Mom. This isn t fair!
Oh, honey, I know it s not exactly what you and Ian had planned, but I thought you d be happy that we d figured out a way for you to go.
Yeah, it will be a real blast. I ll be the one who has to deal with him when he s freaking out because he doesn t want to do this activity or that activity.
Duncan s face falls. As soon as I say it, I feel kind of bad.
Actually, that s where the counselors will come in handy, Alison says. They will ultimately be responsible for Duncan. You re more of a support when they need you, plus there will be other siblings in the same boat as you.
I m Spider-Man, not Duncan.
Of course you are, I mumble. And I m Clark Kent. I can t help myself. Mom taps my leg. I roll my eyes. Duncan catches me. His smile fades. It s replaced with an expression of sheer determination as he extends his arm. He aims the spiderweb shooting out of his wrist right at me.
Would you knock it off? I say.
Boys! Mom says.
Duncan plunks down with a heavy thud and squeezes in beside us on the couch. He relaxes his fingers, spread out so far apart it s amazing he doesn t snap a finger joint. We sit like sardines crammed into a tin can even though there s at least a foot of free space on the other side of him.
Sometimes I wonder what things would be like if Duncan was normal and my dad hadn t died and we were a regular family that could afford to send their kid to camp, no strings attached. Like that will happen now. And another