spray, bug candles, and bug cream,” Mrs. Derkman answered. “Those creatures aren’t getting anywhere near me this year!”
“Did you hear him?” Kevin whispered to Katie. “He called Mrs. Derkman honey.”
“That must be Mr. Derkman,” Katie’s mom said to Mrs. Fox. “He seems very nice.”
Katie gasped. Mrs. Derkman’s husband?
“We’d better go now,” Mrs. Derkman said, nervously looking at her watch.
Mr. Derkman smiled. “See you in three days,” he said. “Don’t let the bedbugs bite!”
Mrs. Derkman’s eyes bulged. “Don’t say that!” she squawked. Then she kissed her husband on the cheek.
The kids stared at their teacher in amazement.
“Okay, class, let’s get on the bus!” Mrs. Derkman ordered her class. “We have no time to waste.”
Katie sighed. Mrs. Derkman still sounded like herself.
“Well, this is it, sweetie,” said Katie’s mom. “Better get on line.”
“You’ll stay until the bus leaves?” Katie asked nervously.
Her mom nodded. “Of course, honey.”
Katie gave Pepper one last pat, and then headed toward the bus. But before she could get on board, Manny started to yell.
“Mrs. Derkman, we can’t leave!” He shouted out. “George isn’t here yet!”
The kids all looked around. Where could George Brennan be?
Chapter 2
“Please, Mrs. Derkman, we have to wait!” Manny begged as the class began to board the bus. “Camp won’t be fun without George!”
“We still have a few minutes before all the luggage is loaded onto the bus,” Mrs. Derkman assured him. “I’m sure George will be here by then.”
Katie found a seat near the window in the middle of the bus. Suzanne hopped into the seat beside her.
“Do you think George is coming?” Katie asked Suzanne as the girls buckled their seat belts.
“I won’t miss him if he doesn’t. George is always telling dumb jokes,” Suzanne said.
Katie frowned. Sometimes Suzanne could be pretty mean. Katie liked George’s jokes. They were really funny. She liked George, too. He was the one who had given Katie her extremely cool nickname—Katie Kazoo.
“I hope we don’t have to wait around all day for him,” Jeremy said, as he took the seat across the aisle from Katie and Suzanne. “I want to get to camp!”
“There he is!” Kevin’s voice rang out from the back of the bus. “Hurry up, George!” he shouted through the open window.
But George wasn’t hurrying. In fact, it looked as though his dad was dragging him across the playground to the bus. George had a very angry scowl on his face.
Mr. Brennan marched George straight up to the yellow bus. “Have a good time, son,” Mr. Brennan said.
“Fat chance,” George barked back.
Mr. Brennan sighed. “It’s just a few days at Science Camp, George. It’s not like you’re joining the army.”
George didn’t answer. He walked to the back of the bus and plopped down in the seat across from Manny and Kevin.
Kevin smiled at his pal. “Am I glad to see you. You wouldn’t believe the amazing things I snuck into my suitcase.” Kevin leaned over to whisper in George’s ear. “I packed all kinds of practical joke stuff—plastic bugs, pepper gum, and a whoopee cushion.”
Usually, George was really into things like whoopee cushions. But not today. He just sat there, staring out the window with his hands crossed over his chest. “Big deal,” he muttered.
Kevin looked surprised. “Come on. We’re going to have so much fun!”
George shook his head. “No we’re not. This whole Science Camp thing is dumb.”
Jeremy looked back at him. “You’re nuts, George. Camp’s the best. ”I should know. I went to camp last summer.”
Suzanne sighed. “You’ve only told us that about a million times.”
“Well, I don’t think camp’s cool,” George argued. “Who wants to go to camp when you can sleep in your own bed and have cable TV?”
As the bus drove away, Katie looked out the window and watched her mother become smaller and
“Did you hear him?” Kevin whispered to Katie. “He called Mrs. Derkman honey.”
“That must be Mr. Derkman,” Katie’s mom said to Mrs. Fox. “He seems very nice.”
Katie gasped. Mrs. Derkman’s husband?
“We’d better go now,” Mrs. Derkman said, nervously looking at her watch.
Mr. Derkman smiled. “See you in three days,” he said. “Don’t let the bedbugs bite!”
Mrs. Derkman’s eyes bulged. “Don’t say that!” she squawked. Then she kissed her husband on the cheek.
The kids stared at their teacher in amazement.
“Okay, class, let’s get on the bus!” Mrs. Derkman ordered her class. “We have no time to waste.”
Katie sighed. Mrs. Derkman still sounded like herself.
“Well, this is it, sweetie,” said Katie’s mom. “Better get on line.”
“You’ll stay until the bus leaves?” Katie asked nervously.
Her mom nodded. “Of course, honey.”
Katie gave Pepper one last pat, and then headed toward the bus. But before she could get on board, Manny started to yell.
“Mrs. Derkman, we can’t leave!” He shouted out. “George isn’t here yet!”
The kids all looked around. Where could George Brennan be?
Chapter 2
“Please, Mrs. Derkman, we have to wait!” Manny begged as the class began to board the bus. “Camp won’t be fun without George!”
“We still have a few minutes before all the luggage is loaded onto the bus,” Mrs. Derkman assured him. “I’m sure George will be here by then.”
Katie found a seat near the window in the middle of the bus. Suzanne hopped into the seat beside her.
“Do you think George is coming?” Katie asked Suzanne as the girls buckled their seat belts.
“I won’t miss him if he doesn’t. George is always telling dumb jokes,” Suzanne said.
Katie frowned. Sometimes Suzanne could be pretty mean. Katie liked George’s jokes. They were really funny. She liked George, too. He was the one who had given Katie her extremely cool nickname—Katie Kazoo.
“I hope we don’t have to wait around all day for him,” Jeremy said, as he took the seat across the aisle from Katie and Suzanne. “I want to get to camp!”
“There he is!” Kevin’s voice rang out from the back of the bus. “Hurry up, George!” he shouted through the open window.
But George wasn’t hurrying. In fact, it looked as though his dad was dragging him across the playground to the bus. George had a very angry scowl on his face.
Mr. Brennan marched George straight up to the yellow bus. “Have a good time, son,” Mr. Brennan said.
“Fat chance,” George barked back.
Mr. Brennan sighed. “It’s just a few days at Science Camp, George. It’s not like you’re joining the army.”
George didn’t answer. He walked to the back of the bus and plopped down in the seat across from Manny and Kevin.
Kevin smiled at his pal. “Am I glad to see you. You wouldn’t believe the amazing things I snuck into my suitcase.” Kevin leaned over to whisper in George’s ear. “I packed all kinds of practical joke stuff—plastic bugs, pepper gum, and a whoopee cushion.”
Usually, George was really into things like whoopee cushions. But not today. He just sat there, staring out the window with his hands crossed over his chest. “Big deal,” he muttered.
Kevin looked surprised. “Come on. We’re going to have so much fun!”
George shook his head. “No we’re not. This whole Science Camp thing is dumb.”
Jeremy looked back at him. “You’re nuts, George. Camp’s the best. ”I should know. I went to camp last summer.”
Suzanne sighed. “You’ve only told us that about a million times.”
“Well, I don’t think camp’s cool,” George argued. “Who wants to go to camp when you can sleep in your own bed and have cable TV?”
As the bus drove away, Katie looked out the window and watched her mother become smaller and
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