Space Camp Read online

  “Sounds similar to a game we used to play back on Earth called capture the flag,” Zack whispered to Drake. “I was always good at that. I’m a fast runner.”

  Mr. Brod continued, “If you tag a player on the other team, that player is frozen in place until a teammate tags him. When you’re frozen, you won’t be able to run after anyone. So it’s important to have good offense and defense on both teams.”

  Teams were based on cabins, so Zack, Drake, Aiden, and Connor were all on the same side. They were playing against the kids from cabin two.

  Then Mr. Brod blew his whistle and the game began. Zack looked around but couldn’t find Connor. He also didn’t see his team’s electron pod. A few seconds later Connor appeared.

  “I hid our pod,” he said.

  “Where is it?” asked Zack.

  “Don’t worry. They’ll never find it,” Connor said proudly.

  “But how can we defend it if we don’t know where it is?” Zack asked.

  “You just stand right there!” Connor said. “Aiden, Drake, come with me.”

  Connor ran off to find the other team’s pod.

  Ugh, who made him boss? Zack thought.

  Connor dashed off searching for cabin two’s electron pod when a kid from the other team tagged him.

  “Ahhh! I’m stuck!” Connor cried out in frustration. He was frozen in midair.

  Drake quickly ran up and tagged Connor, unfreezing him.

  As soon as he got back down on the ground, Connor ran off to catch the kid that tagged him.

  “A thank-you would be nice,” Drake called out.

  On the other side of the camp, Zack chased away a kid from Plexus. As Zack ran back to his original position, he saw someone dart into a patch of bushes. The kid captured a glowing electron pod and secured it in his power container. Then he bolted toward the cabin two home base.

  As soon as the mystery kid ran out of the bushes, Zack saw who it was. It was Aiden!

  “Oh no! Aiden, stop!” Zack cried. “You’ve got the wrong electron pod!

  Chapter 7

  Trouble in Cabin Six

  Aiden raced toward cabin two’s base with his power container clutched under his arm. He was so excited to win the game for his team that he didn’t hear Zack at all.

  Then out of nowhere, two kids from the other team tagged Aiden at the same time. He immediately froze in midair.

  “Thanks for finding your own pod for us!” one boy cried as he grabbed the container and ran away. “Now we’re going to win!”

  A moment later, the final whistle blew and the game was over.

  As Aiden’s feet touched back on the ground, Connor rushed up to him. “What were you thinking?” Connor shouted. “You stole the wrong pod! You are the worst space buddy ever! I wish I had picked someone else.”

  “I—I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was our pod,” said Aiden. He turned and walked away.

  “Aiden, don’t worry!” Zack called after him. “It’s just a game.”

  But Aiden kept walking, his head hung down. Zack felt bad seeing how hard Connor was on him.

  “Aiden will be okay,” said Drake. “I am sure he will be feeling better by lunchtime.”

  Zack and Drake walked into the main cabin. Mr. Brod punched a code into a keypad. The chairs that had been set up that morning rose into the air.

  Slots in the floor slid open. Long tables popped up from below the floor. The chairs floated back down, and the meeting tent became a cafeteria.

  Zack and Drake joined the kitchen line. They filled their trays with food from all over the galaxy. They grabbed Araxie steaks and Plexi potato mash. Zack was happy to see crispy fritters from home.

  Once their plates were full, they went back to their table. They looked for Aiden, but there was no sign of him anywhere.

  After they ate, Zack and Drake headed to their cabin. They found Aiden lying in his bed.

  “You’re going to miss lunch,” said Zack.

  “I’m not hungry,” Aiden replied. “I just want to be alone.”

  “Don’t worry about the game,” said Zack. “We played a game on Earth called baseball. One time I ran around the bases backward. Everybody makes mistakes. It’s no big deal.”

  “Yeah, do not let Connor bother you, Aiden,” said Drake. “He is just really competitive.”

  Aiden sat up and looked at Drake. “Thanks, guys. I really thought I was helping.” He sighed. “This is my first time away from home. I really miss my family.”

  “I know what you mean,” said Zack. “When I first moved to Nebulon, I was really homesick. I didn’t know anyone. I missed my best friend Bert so much. Then things got worse because a kid named Seth Stevens picked on me. Things are better now, though. Seth and I are even friends. And of course, I also met Drake.”

  Aiden smiled.

  “I’m happy to have new friends like you and Drake,” he said to Zack.

  “Me too!” Drake agreed. He pulled out Aiden’s hand and taught him how to do the Nebulon handshake. Then all three boys did it at once and started laughing.

  Right then, Connor walked into the cabin. “And what’s so funny?” he snarled.

  “The Nebulon handshake,” replied Aiden. “Want to learn it?”

  Connor shook his head and rolled his three eyes. His antennae waved back and forth.

  “You know, Connor, the real reason we lost is because we didn’t work as a team,” Zack said. “You wouldn’t even tell us the hiding spot!”

  Connor stepped back. Zack got the feeling that no one had ever talked to him this way before. Zack hoped that he would apologize to Aiden. Then they could all be friends.

  Instead, Connor said, “I don’t have to listen to you,” and he stomped away.

  Zack looked over at Aiden. His smile had disappeared.

  “Don’t worry,” said Zack. “I have an idea!”

  Chapter 8

  Campout

  The next day, everyone packed up their sleeping tents for an overnight campout in the woods. Mr. Brod led the campers along a winding narrow trail.

  Soon, they reached a small clearing. It was lined with curved ridges, like Drake and Zack had seen before.

  “These are the famous anti-grav ridges of Sylvan. Space buddies, pick a ridge and set up your tents,” Mr. Brod announced.

  Zack and Drake picked a large curving ridge.

  Drake set up his tent at the bottom of the ridge. So Zack walked up along the curved ridge to the top. Zack set up his tent along the top of the ridge, directly opposite Drake.

  Once everyone was settled, the campers spent the day hiking and swimming. Later, as the sun began to set, they all gathered around a cosmic campfire. Instead of regular flames, the burning logs gave off tiny shooting stars.

  “Does anyone have a good campfire story?” asked Mr. Brod.

  Zack, Drake, and Aiden all looked at each other.

  Zack spoke up. “I have a story,” he said. Then he began: “A long time ago, a creature known as the Sylvan Sticker lived in these woods. This monster had a fur-covered body, sharp pointy teeth, and long legs and arms shaped like sticks. The Sylvan Sticker didn’t like being disturbed, so it would camouflage itself on the ground under the trees. One day, a boy was passing through the forest. Along the way, he found a cute furry animal asleep in a nest of sticks. The boy knelt down to pet the cute little animal. Then the animal woke up and reared its ugly head. It was the Sylvan Sticker! It stood high above the boy and plucked him into the air.”

  As Zack was busy telling the story, Aiden and Drake quietly snuck off into the woods. They each picked up a stick.

  “That happened many years ago, so people believe the Sylvan Sticker has vanished,” Zack said. “But I think it still roams these very woods . . . looking for someone to . . . scare!”

  At that moment, Drake and Aiden poked Connor with their sticks. Connor shrieked in surprise, and everyone burst out laughing . . . everyone except Connor. He jumped up and ran off into the woods.

  C
hapter 9

  Dinnertime!

  Zack felt good about giving Connor a taste of his own medicine. He was sure that Connor would be back any second.

  When the laughter died down, Mr. Brod led the campers to a clearing and placed his backpack on the floor. When he pressed a button, the bag opened and food instantly landed in front of each camper.

  “These are sylva-nuts,” Mr. Brod explained. He handed each camper a round brown object about the size of an Earth softball. “The only place in the galaxy they grow is here on Sylvan. Slip them onto a stick and hold them over the campfire.”

  “I used to roast hot dogs over a campfire back on Earth,” said Zack.

  Then he placed his sylva-nut onto a stick and spun it over the fire. He took a bite.

  Zack’s eyes lit up. “Wow! Yumzers! This is grape!”

  “It is sweeter than the nebu-nuts we have back home,” said Drake. “Very tasty.”

  Zack was surprised by how full he was after just one sylva-nut.

  “I have a treat from Earth that I would like to share with everyone,” Zack said. He opened up his pack and pulled out the fixings for s’mores. “They are called s’mores. These are a must-have when camping on Earth.”

  Zack started building and melting s’mores, and he passed them around. Everyone loved them!

  Aiden pulled a small bottle from his backpack. “This is syrup made from the bondak tree here on Sylvan,” he explained. “One drop makes everything super-sweet.”

  Zack put a tiny drop on his next s’more. “Yippee wah-wah!” he cried. “My s’more is super-sweet!”

  Soon it was time to settle in for the night. Zack walked up the curved ridge. He and Drake were about to go into their tents, when Aiden came running.

  “Connor isn’t back!” cried Aiden. “Our tents are right over on the next ridge. I stuck my head into Connor’s tent to say good night, but he’s not there!”

  Chapter 10

  Space Buddies

  “We have to find him,” said Zack. “He’s all alone in the dark.”

  Aiden opened his pack. He pulled out a long clear crystal. “Mr. Brod gave me this Sylvan glo-crystal,” he said. “You can use it like a flashlight. Come on!”

  Aiden led the way. Zack and Drake followed. After a few minutes, they arrived at Water-Rise Lake. Zack noticed that water from the lake flowed up the side of the mountain. The boys hiked a steep trail next to the up-fall. At the top of the trail, they spotted Connor.

  “Hey! I’m so glad we found you, space buddy!” said Aiden. “Are you okay?”

  “No, that story was too scary,” admitted Connor. “You guys really freaked me out. And you made everyone laugh at me. This camp is my first time being away from home. Now I’m scared and embarrassed. How can I go back and face the other campers? They’ll all make fun of me.”

  Zack was shocked. The last thing Zack thought was that Connor was afraid. “Then why were you so mean and bossy to everybody?” asked Zack.

  “I thought that if I let anyone know I was scared, they wouldn’t like me,” said Connor. “So I hid it by acting like I was in charge. I’m sorry, Aiden. I know I wasn’t very nice to you.”

  “And I’m sorry my story scared you so much,” said Zack. “It was supposed to be in good fun.”

  “Yeah, sorry I poked you,” said Aiden.

  Drake nodded in agreement.

  “It was kind of funny,” said Connor with a chuckle. “I must have jumped three feet when you scared me.”

  The boys smiled at one another, and they all broke into laughter.

  “I am glad we sorted things out!” said Drake.

  “Me too! Please come back with us, Connor. Now that we are all friends, we are going to have the best time this summer!” said Zack.

  “Yeah, we should get going before Mr. Brod starts to worry,” said Aiden.

  The boys hiked back to their tents.

  “I’m still a little scared,” said Connor.

  “I have an idea,” said Zack. “Why don’t we all sleep in my tent?”

  “That sounds great!” said Drake.

  The four boys walked up the curved ridge and snuggled into Zack’s tent for the night.

  The next day, everyone returned to the main grounds. After breakfast, Mr. Brod changed the cafeteria back into the meeting room. He read off the list of activities for the day.

  First up were races on airboards. These were like surfboards you rode in the air.

  “They are made from the same trees that grow on the anti-grav ridges here,” Mr. Brod explained. “You can do flips in the air without feeling like you’re upside down!”

  The boys raced through the course on airboards. They zoomed along, three feet above the ground, as they did all sorts of flips and tricks in the air.

  Aiden won the race. Connor lifted all three of his arms and gave his space buddy a three-way high five.

  Swimming in the lake was next. Drake was especially excited.

  “You know, I used to be afraid of swimming,” Drake told the others. “But Zack helped me. Now I love to swim!”

  The boys all jumped into the water.

  “I miss my family,” Zack said as he floated on his back. “But I’m going to miss you guys when camp is over.” Zack was glad they were all friends now.

  “That’s not until the end of summer,” said Connor. He ducked under the water so only his antennae stuck out. Then he popped back up, making a big splash. “We have lots of time to have fun until then!”

  “You said it,” agreed Zack. Then he shouted, “Last one back to shore is a rotten Sylvan Sticker!”

  This was turning out to be a stellar summer!

  RAY O’RYAN has loved space stories ever since he watched the very first episode of Star Trek. He loves to imagine what traveling across the galaxy might be like, and is a bit jealous of Galaxy Zack in this regard. Ray lives in the beautiful Catskill Mountains of upstate New York with his wife and two lovable, zany cats named Stitch and The Way.

  JASON KRAFT grew up with a passion for drawing. He has developed that passion into a humble career that has allowed him to work in all facets of the entertainment field all over the globe—from toy design to feature animation. He has now settled in Ottawa, Ontario, with his wife, Christina, and their daughter, Ivy.

  Little Simon

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  authors.simonandschuster.com/Jason-Kraft

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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  First Little Simon hardcover edition May 2016

  Copyright © 2016 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  Also available in a Little Simon paperback edition.

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  Designed by Nick Sciacca

  Jacket design by Nicholas Sciacca

  Jacket illustrations copyright © 2016 by Sim
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  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: O’Ryan, Ray. | Kraft, Jason (Jason E.) illustrator.

  Title: Space camp / by Ray O’Ryan ; illustrated by Jason Kraft.

  Description: First edition. | New York : Little Simon, [2016]

  Series: Galaxy Zack ; #14 | Summary: Will troublesome cabinmates ruin

  Zack’s summer at space camp on the planet Sylvan?

  Identifiers: LCCN 2015035404| ISBN 9781481463010 (hc) | ISBN 9781481463003 (pbk)

  ISBN 9781481463027 (eBook)

  Subjects: | CYAC: Science fiction. | Camps—Fiction.

  Interplanetary voyages—Fiction. | Human-alien encounters—Fiction.

  BISAC: JUVENILE FICTION / Readers / Chapter Books. | JUVENILE FICTION / Science Fiction. |

  JUVENILE FICTION / Action & Adventure / General.

  Classification: LCC PZ7.O7843 Sp 2016 | DDC [Fic]—dc23

  LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015035404