Just in time for summer vacation! Have you ever gone to a sports camp? Rich Wallace, the author of Sports Camp, did when he was eleven years old just like the main character of this novel - Riley Liston.
Camp Olympia is a two-week-long, sleep-away camp and Riley feels like the smallest and youngest kid there. The place is also somewhat terrifying. The camp sign is a picture of a giant snapping turtle. Soon kids are telling him stories of Big Joe, the real snapping turtle who lives in Lake Surprise, and supposedly bites at the fingers and toes of swimmers.
Camp Olympia sounded like lots of fun - basketball, baseball, track, cross-country, canoe races, tug-of-war, swimming and water polo all day long. However, the older and bigger kids are scaring Riley just a little bit. Riley thinks his big chance to shine will be the mile-long swim race across Lake Surprise, but what about Big Joe?
Have you ever seen a snapping turtle? They can grow very big. If you would like to learn more about snapping turtles in Michigan, click here.
And don't stay out of the water this summer!
