Get Lost! by Nancy Krulik Read Free Book Online

Chapter 1
    Katie Carew bent down and kissed her cocker spaniel on the nose. “Don’t be afraid, Pepper,” she told him. “I’m not going away forever. It’s just three days.”
    Pepper sniffed at Katie’s mouth. Then he licked her—right on the lips.
    Katie let out a big yawn. It was 7:30 Monday morning. Usually, that was the time Katie got out of bed. But not today. Today Katie had already eaten breakfast. She was already dressed. And she was already at school!
    Katie yawned again. She was so tired. She hadn’t slept at all the night before. She’d been too nervous. She was about to go away to Science Camp— for three days and two nights!
    Just then, a big yellow school bus pulled into the parking lot.
    “Yahoo! The bus is here!” Manny Gonzalez shouted excitedly. “Science Camp, here we come!”
    Katie’s class had been talking about Science Camp since the first day of school. The third grade made the trip every year.
    Some kids were really excited to go. Katie was more nervous. She had never been away from her family for that long before.
    “Hey Katie, are you psyched or what?” Katie’s best friend Jeremy Fox called out, as he and his mother walked onto the school playground.
    “Or what,” Katie answered nervously.
    “Come on. Camp is great! I spent two weeks at sleepaway camp last summer. It was the best time of my whole life.”
    Jeremy was wearing hiking boots and carrying a water canteen. He’d packed his clothes in a waterproof camp duffel bag. His sleeping bag was made of camouflage material.
    Katie was wearing her everyday sneakers. Her mother had packed her clothes in the beat-up suitcase she used when she visited her grandma. Suddenly, Katie’s Cuddle Bears sleeping bag seemed kind of babyish.
    Katie’s mom gave her a big squeeze. “You’re going to have a great time. It’s only two nights. Think of it as a long sleepover.” Mrs. Carew pointed toward the edge of the playground. “Oh, look—here comes Suzanne!”
    Suzanne Lock was Katie’s other best friend. Katie figured she must have been planning for a really long sleepover. After all, she was wheeling a huge hot pink suitcase and carrying a small overnight bag. Her father was carrying the matching duffel bag.
    Quickly, Katie hurried over to help Suzanne with her bags.

    “Why do you have so much stuff?” Katie asked as she took the overnight bag from her friend. It was very heavy.
    “A girl’s got to be prepared for anything, Katie.” Suzanne smiled as she unloaded the rest of her luggage beside Katie’s. “If it’s cold at night, I’ll need a jacket. If it’s warm during the day, I’ll need shorts. And I don’t want to wear the same outfit at night that I wore all day, so ...”
    “We’re going camping!” Jeremy shouted. “You’re supposed to rough it!”
    “I am! I didn’t bring my blow-dryer.”
    Katie giggled. She was scared to go to Science Camp, but she was glad her two best friends would be there with her. She loved them both—even if they didn’t always like each other.
    “Hey, Katie, have you seen George?” Kevin Camilleri asked as he came running over. “Manny and I have to talk to him.”
    “I don’t think he’s here yet,” Katie told him. “What’s so important?”
    “It’s a secret,” Kevin said. “We aren’t telling anyone but George.”
    Just then, Mrs. Derkman stepped onto the playground. Katie could hardly believe that this was her teacher. Usually, Mrs. Derkman wore dresses and high heels. Her hair was always perfect, and she smelled like sweet perfume.
    But today, Mrs. Derkman was a mess! She was wearing sweatpants and sneakers. Her hair was covered by a huge, floppy hat. Worst of all, she smelled like bug spray.
    “Whoa! Check out Mrs. Derkman!” Kevin shouted. “She looks like a regular person.”
    A tall man with a beard and moustache walked over to Mrs. Derkman. “Here are your bags, honey,” he said. “Your suitcase is so heavy. What do you have in there?”
    “Bug