Chapter 1

  Hattie the Adventurer?

  Sophie Mouse was having a great Monday.

  First, her mom had made maple nut pancakes for breakfast.

  Next, at school Sophie’s teacher had given the class an extra recess. “You all did so well on your math quiz! Go enjoy some time outside!” Mrs. Wise had said.

  Then, Sophie remembered her acorn jacks were in her pocket. She showed them to her friends Hattie Frog and Owen Snake. “Want to play?” Sophie asked.

  Hattie and Owen nodded eagerly.

  So the three friends sat down next to the hopscotch court. Owen went first. He had to bounce the ball and grab the jacks with his tail—and he was surprisingly good. He got all the way to foursies!

  Hattie went next. She got up to fivesies. Then she missed one jack.

  Sophie went last. She almost messed up on twosies. But after that, she breezed right through tensies. Sophie won! It felt like her lucky day.

  “Let’s play again,” said Hattie. She was eager for a rematch. “I’ll go first this time.”

  While Hattie got ready, Sophie overheard her classmates in the hopscotch line. Ellie Squirrel was talking about going camping.

  “Really?” said Zoe, a bluebird. “Like sleeping outside?”

  Malcolm Mole shook his head. “No way,” he said. “I don’t like the idea of sleeping on the ground.”

  Sophie giggled. Didn’t Malcolm sleep under the ground?

  Owen must have overheard the others too, because he nudged Sophie. “Have you ever been camping?” Owen asked.

  Sophie shook her head. “Nope.”

  “I have!” Hattie exclaimed. “At this campground called Pine Crest. I’ve gone a few times with my family.”

  Owen’s eyes lit up. “What’s it like?” he asked Hattie.

  Hattie thought for a second. “It’s fun! And something always happens that makes for a good story.” Hattie laughed. “Like last time, Lydie got our tarp stuck up in a tree. It was snagged on a branch. Lydie had to stand on my dad’s shoulders to reach it. And when the tarp came loose, it fell on top of them!”

  Hattie giggled. She described her dad and sister stumbling around like a very tall ghost.

  The image made Sophie and Owen laugh too.

  “Hey!” Hattie said suddenly. “What if we three went camping?”

  Sophie frowned. “Just us?” she asked. “By ourselves?” She was a little surprised. Hattie was usually the cautious friend. Sometimes she got scared easily. And she wasn’t always up for an adventure.

  But Hattie looked so excited. And so did Owen.

  “Lydie was allowed to camp out with friends when she was my age,” Hattie said. “I know how to safely build a campfire. I know the best trail to the campground. I think I know how to put up a tent. But I can practice that.”

  “I don’t know how to do any of those things,” said Owen. “But I’m ready to help. Let’s do it! How about next weekend?”

  Sophie smiled. It was hard not to be excited when her friends were so excited. “Okay!” she agreed. “Let’s go camping!”

  Chapter 2

  Packing and Preparing

  The friends had the week to prepare.

  On Tuesday, Hattie made a list of everything they would need. She showed it to Sophie and Owen after school.

  “We can use my family’s tent,” Hattie said. “Do you each have a sleeping bag?”

  Sophie and Owen nodded.

  “Backpacks?” Hattie asked.

  Sophie had one. Owen didn’t. Backpacks didn’t really work for snakes. They decided Owen could pull a wagon. They could fit lots of stuff inside.

  On Wednesday, they looked carefully at a map of Silverlake Forest. They marked the trails they would take to get to Pine Crest. They’d have to go around Forget-Me-Not Lake, one of their favorite spots!

  They made a food list on Thursday. “We have to bring marshmallows!” Hattie said firmly. “We’ll want to roast them over the campfire.”

  “Oooh,” said Sophie, “and I bet my mom might have some baked goodies we could take.” Her mom, Lily Mouse, owned the bakery in Pine Needle Grove. And it wasn’t just her maple nut pancakes that were amazing.

  On Friday, Hattie and Owen came over to Sophie’s house so they could practice setting up the tent.

  Hattie took out the tent poles. “I think this goes through here,” she said. She threaded one pole through a channel in the fabric. “Then this end goes here. And this end goes here.” Hattie wrestled with the tent for a few minutes.

  Sophie frowned. “Can we help?” she asked.

  “No, I think I’ve got it,” Hattie replied. “There!”

  Hattie stood back to look at her work. The tent poles stuck out at odd angles.

  “Cool,” said Owen supportively. “How do we get in?”

  Hattie’s shoulders fell. “Oh, it’s all wrong,” she moaned. “I don’t remember how to do it.”

  Sophie tugged at her whiskers. “Wait here,” she told them. “I have an idea.”

  Sophie ran inside her house. Her dad was in the kitchen.

  “Dad?” Sophie said. “Can you help us with… a building project?”

  George Mouse came outside with her. “Ah, yes. Tents can be tricky,” said Mr. Mouse. He lifted up one of the tent flaps to take a closer look. “Oh! I see the problem.”

  Sophie knew her dad could help. He was an architect. He could design big, sturdy structures. But he also just loved putting things together.

  Mr. Mouse adjusted one of the poles. Hattie studied what he was doing.

  “There! You were very close!” he told them.

  Hattie smiled. “I think I’ve got it now,” she said.

  Owen slithered around the tent. “Awesome!” he exclaimed. Then he ducked inside to look around.

  But Hattie didn’t notice him. Now that she knew how to set the tent up, she started taking it down. As she pulled out one of the tent poles, the fabric collapsed onto Owen.

  “Aaaaaah!” Owen cried. “I can’t see!” He wriggled around inside the tent.

  “Oops!” Hattie exclaimed. “Sorry!” She and Sophie lifted and pulled at the tent, trying to find the opening.

  Just then, Sophie’s little brother, Winston, came over to see what was going on. His eyes fell on the mysterious wriggling shape.

  Winston screamed and ducked behind Mr. Mouse. “What is it?” he cried.

  Sophie, Hattie, and Mr. Mouse laughed. “Don’t worry, Winston,” Sophie said. “It’s just—”

  “Me!” Owen cried as he poked his head out of the tent. He slithered out. “Phew! I was starting to think I’d have to camp out in your backyard forever!”

  Chapter 3

  Off We Go!

  On Saturday, the campers—and their parents—met up at Hattie’s house. Mr. and Mrs. Frog made a big, hearty breakfast for everyone. There were berries and scones and maple yogurt.

  When they were all done eating, Hattie checked and double-checked her lists. “We can’t forget anything important!” she said.

  Mrs. Frog patted her on the back. “If you do, you can always come back and get it,” she said. “You won’t be that far away.”

  Hattie pouted. “But that would ruin the adventure!” she said.

  Sophie laughed. “Well, I definitely think we have enough food,” she said.

  The wagon was filled with containers of apple muffins, oat crackers with sunflower butter, vegetable pot pies, and more.

  Mrs. Mouse reached into her purse. “Oh! I almost forgot. Here’s a fresh batch of scones.” She handed a tin to Sophie.

  Sophie gave her a hug. “Thanks, Mom,” she said.

  Finally, it was time to set off. A few more hugs and waves, and the three campers were tromping away down the path they’d marked on their map.

  They followed it along the stream. Then the path took a sharp turn into the woods. It wound back and forth, around big rocks and under fallen trees.

  In a few places, Sophie and Hattie helped Owen pull the wagon over tree roots.

  Eventually, they came to Forget-Me-Not Lake. The blue flowers on the grassy bank were in full bloom.

  “Ah, I just love the lake,” said Sophie. “Should we stop here for a bit?”

  Hattie shook her head. “We have to get to the campsite with plenty of time to set up before dark,” she said.

  “And plenty of time to have fun!” added Owen.

  Sophie knew her friends were right. She followed them as they kept walking. But now she wondered about something. “Hattie, do you know what Lydie and her friends did for fun on their camping trip?”

  Hattie nodded. “Lydie said they roasted marshmallows. So we’ve got that covered. And she said they told spooky stories about ghosts and noises in the woods.”

  Owen shivered. “Maybe we could skip that part,” he suggested.

  Sophie laughed. “Fine by me!” she replied.

  “Oh!” Hattie said. She pulled something out of her pocket. It was silver and shiny. “I almost forgot! I brought my harmonica. So we can sing campfire songs.”

  Sophie clapped her hands. “That sounds like fun!” she said.

  As they walked on, Hattie listed the songs she could play on the harmonica.

  “I don’t know the words for most of those,” Sophie said. “Maybe you can teach us after dinner?”

  “Yes!” said Hattie. Then she stopped in her tracks. As she stepped to one side, Sophie and Owen could see a wooden sign with big letters carved into it: PINE CREST CAMPGROUND.

 

; Sophie cheered. “We’re here!”

  Chapter 4

  Home Away from Home

  “Look!” Sophie cried, pointing. There was a little box of cards attached to the signpost. The box had a label that said PLEASE TAKE ONE!

  So Hattie took one. On one side there was a map of the campground. It showed the locations of campsites, picnic tables, firepits, nature trails, and the pond.

  On the other side was a list of rules. Hattie cleared her throat and read out the first one: “‘Treat the campground as if it is your home.’”

  “‘No littering,’” said Owen, reading rule number two. “‘Pick up after yourself Whatever you bring in, please take out.’”

  Sophie went next. “‘Please don’t pick the flowers.’” Too bad, thought Sophie. She often liked to collect flowers and plants. She used them to make new paints to use for her artwork. Oh well—she could find plenty of flowers to pick at home.

  Hattie read the last rule. “‘Take care of your fellow campers.’”

  “Aww,” said Sophie. “That’s nice.” She looked around. “But… where are our fellow campers? It seems like we’re the only ones here.”

  From where they were standing, they could see all of the main campsite. It was green and peaceful—and empty. There were no other tents or backpacks or other camping stuff.

  Owen nodded. “You’re right. But it might be fun to have the whole place to ourselves!”

  So the three friends set about finding a spot to set up their tent. The map showed ten different camp sites within the campground—they all were branching out from the main site. Sophie, Hattie, and Owen picked the second one they came to. It had its own picnic table and a stone firepit.

  Sophie and Hattie put down their packs. Owen parked the wagon. They took out the tent and spread out all the poles. Hattie called out instructions, and to everyone’s amazement, they got the tent up quickly!

  Hattie stepped back to admire it. “Whew!” Hattie said. “I was nervous about that.”

  “It’s perfect,” said Sophie. “Our home away from home.”

  The friends put their food and other supplies inside the tent and zipped the front flap closed. Then they decided to have a look around.

  They found the nature trail. They walked half of it, reading the signs about nearby trees and plants.

  Then they came to a tree with a ladder attached to the trunk. Sophie looked up. Nestled in the branches was a wooden platform. It had three walls and a roof. “A tree house!” she exclaimed.

  “Let’s check it out!” Owen cried. He slithered up the ladder. Hattie and Sophie followed.

  “Oh, I don’t like heights,” Hattie whimpered.

  “But look at the view from up here!” Owen said.

  They could see all the way to the campground sign. They could see the trail they’d walked on. Beyond, they could even see Forget-Me-Not Lake.

  And they could see that there was not another camper anywhere in sight.

  Chapter 5

  What’s That Noise?

  “I have an idea. I’ll be right back!” Sophie announced.

  She climbed down the ladder and ran back to their tent. She grabbed one of the muffin tins. Then she brought it up into the tree house.

  “Snack time!” she announced.

  “Yes!” cried Owen.

  The three friends were more tired and hungry than they’d thought. They hadn’t come that far from home, but the packs and wagon were heavy. The animals gobbled down the muffins and lazed in the tree house for a while.

  Then Owen popped up with new energy. “What should we do next?” he asked.

  Hattie checked the position of the sun in the sky. “Maybe it’s time to set up for the evening,” she said. “We need to find small sticks to get the campfire going. That’s called kindling. Then we should hang up our tent lights so we can see after dark. And we should unroll our sleeping bags.”

  Sophie led the way down the ladder. At the base of the tree, she looked around. “Well, since we’re already in the woods, let’s get some kindling.”

  They wandered farther down the nature trail. Owen picked up a stick. “Is this a good size?” he asked Hattie.

  “Yes,” said Hattie. “And the drier the better. If it snaps in half easily, that’s good.”

  Sophie saw a pile of fallen branches a little ways off the trail. She scurried in that direction. Owen followed Sophie. Hattie continued a little farther down the trail, but Sophie could still see her through the trees.

  Sophie and Owen picked up about ten good sticks. Then they turned back toward the trail.

  Just then, Hattie came running through the trees. She was looking behind her as she ran—and she nearly crashed into Owen! But she turned and saw him at the last second and skidded to a halt.

  “Whoa!” Owen cried out. “Hattie, what’s the matter?”

  Hattie’s eyes were wide and her face was flushed. “Did you two hear that?” she asked, panting heavily.

  Sophie and Owen looked at each other. Then they shrugged at Hattie.

  “Hear what?” Sophie asked.

  Hattie held up one hand. “Listen!” she whispered.

  The three friends stood perfectly still in the middle of the woods. Sophie’s ears twitched. They listened. But the only sound was the breeze rustling the tree leaves.

  “What did you hear?” Owen asked Hattie.

  Hattie hesitated. “A… a rustling,” she said.

  “Oh!” Sophie said. “Well, I hear that. It’s just the wind in the trees.”

  Hattie didn’t look so sure. “No,” she said. “It was a different rustling. Maybe. Or I don’t know. I guess it could have been a sudden gust so it was louder.” Hattie looked calmer now. She gave a weak smile.

  Sophie smiled too. “Maybe you’re just remembering a story Lydie told you? About hearing noises in the woods?”

  Hattie took a deep breath and sighed. “Yes,” she said, nodding. “That’s probably it.”

  Chapter 6

  The Rustling Reeds

  Sophie and Hattie carried the kindling back to the campsite. Along the way, Owen picked up a few more sticks with his tail.

  They put some of it inside the firepit.

  “Okay,” Hattie said, “fire safety! Before we start a campfire, we need to have a way to put it out. Oh!” Hattie looked around. “Oh no.”

  “What?” asked Sophie.

  Hattie pulled a bucket out of the wagon. “I forgot we need to get water. To fill the fire bucket. We need to keep it next to the campfire at all times.”

  Sophie took the bucket. “I’ll get some!” she said. She didn’t mind exploring a little bit more. And the stream was marked on the map. Sophie just had to go down the hill toward campsite number four. From there, she could follow the sound of the rushing water. So she set off.

  Along the way, Sophie stopped a couple of times. She found a blueberry bush brimming with berries. She grabbed a couple and popped them into her mouth.

  Then she spotted an interesting leaf on the ground. It was purplish and had curvy edges. Sophie put it in her pocket. If she couldn’t pick flowers, maybe she could make a new paint color from the leaf.

  At the stream, Sophie hopped onto a rock. She lowered the bucket down and the water rushed in. Sophie held on tight so the current didn’t carry the bucket away.

  Just then, she heard a noise on the far bank. Her ears perked up.

 

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