How to Survive Summer Camp (ISBN 978-0-19-272704-6) is a novel written by Jacqueline Wilson

Jacqueline Wilson

Dame Jacqueline Wilson, DBE, FRSL is an award-winning English author, known for her vast and diverse work in children's literature. Her novels have been adapted numerous times for television, and commonly deal with such challenging themes as adoption, divorce and mental illness...

 and illustrated by Sue Heap

Sue Heap

-Early life:Heap was born in 1954 in Hampshire, England. As a child she would write a draw to reflect her rootless lifestyle, living in such places as Singapore and Egypt...

. It was first published in 1985. It features a ten-year-old girl at summer camp.

Plot summary

Stella goes to summer camp while her mother and stepfather are on their honeymoon.Since Stella is scared of swimming her mother promised her that she will not have to swim eventhough later on she is forced to swim by the brigadier. At summer camp she befriends a girl called Marzipan but does not get on with Louise and her friend Karen, two rather vile girls who nickname the main character Baldy due to her short hair cut. There are some strange goings on: a crying noise in the night, Stella's fairytale book falling apart and a wet patch in the bedroom. Stella soon discovers this was all caused by a fox, who was being looked after by the cleaning lady,as he had hurt his paw.

Characters

• Stella Stebbings - The protagonist of the novel, she is forced to go to Evergreen Summer Camp while her parents are away for their honeymoon. She is adventurous and a rulebreaker, but she also has a caring and creative personality.
• Marzipan - One of Stella's Emerald room-mates and perhaps Stella's best friend; she is a timid, bookworm girl described as being "a bit large and lumpy"
• Louise - one of Stella's Emerald room-mates. She is snobbish, excels at sports and is very pretty, with long blonde hair, and rich parents and designer clothes
• Karen - Louise's best friend who takes pleasure out of bullying Stella and is sycophantic towards Louise. She taunts Stella with the nickname 'Baldy' due to Stella's short haircut
• Alan - One of the Emerald boys, who excels at swimming and enjoys comics. Becomes one of Stella's good friends at Evergreen.
• Rosemary - one of Stella's Emerald room-mates. Begins as a very shy five-year-old who refuses to speak, but when Stella rescues her toy donkey from the cowpat, she finds her voice and becomes good friends with Stella
• James - one of the Emerald boys; a large, greedy boy who speaks in rhyme.
• Janie - one of Stella's Emerald room-mates, and Rosemary's best friend.
• Bilbo - one of the Emerald boys. Around Rosemary's age and is quite irritating.
• Richard - the oldest Emerald boy who appears to have a crush on Louise.
• Brigadier - the owner of Evergreen who resides in the tower room of the house. Initially Stella is terrified of him but after their first meeting and his magazine suggestion and eventual success in teaching her how to swim, Stella warms to him.
• Miss Hamer-Cotton - the Brigadier's bossy daughter and in charge of most activities at Evergreen. Disliked by Stella due to her continuous punishing and elimination of team points
• Uncle Ron - the activities organiser, nicknamed 'Uncle Pong' due to his smelly tracksuit. Tries and fails to teach Stella how to swim.
• Jimbo - in charge of judo at Evergreen
• Jilly - in charge of macrame at Evergreen
• Mrs Markham (Orange Overall/Purple Pinafore/Dotty Dress/Nylon Nightie) - a member of staff who is furtively caring for a baby fox on the premises until he is free to be put back in the wild.

External links

• How To Survive Summer Camp at Fantastic Fiction]