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The Secret of Camp Pine Lake

A story for English learners (Level B1)

Written for young English learners

Annotation

Main Characters

Max

12 years old. He loves gadgets, maps and old machines. He always carries a small notebook and a torch.

Lily

12 years old. She is clever and calm. She loves puzzles and she is very good at maths.

Tom

13 years old. He is funny and friendly, and he loves food more than anything else. He is a very loyal friend.

Anna

11 years old. She is quiet, but she notices everything. She loves drawing, and her sketchbook is always with her.

Contents

Chapter 1. Welcome to Camp Pine Lake

Chapter 2. The Old Notebook

Chapter 3. The Riddle of the Bell Tower

Chapter 4. Into the Forest

Chapter 5. The Old Boathouse

Chapter 6. The Storm

Chapter 7. Rowing to the Island

Chapter 8. The Lighthouse Mystery

Chapter 9. The Time Capsule

Chapter 10. The Last Campfire

Final Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Answer Key

Notes for Teachers and Parents

Chapter 1. Welcome to Camp Pine Lake

The bus stopped next to a big wooden gate. Above the gate, old letters said: CAMP PINE LAKE. Max looked out of the window and smiled.

"We are here," he said. "Three weeks in the forest. No phones, no homework, no boring lessons."

"No homework, but a lot of swimming, I hope," said Tom, and everybody laughed.

Max, Lily, Tom and Anna were friends from the same school. This was their first time at Camp Pine Lake, but their parents went to this camp many years ago, when they were young.

The camp was next to a big, quiet lake. Tall pine trees stood all around it, and in the middle of the lake there was a small island. On the island, Max could see an old lighthouse. Its white paint was grey now, and one window was broken.

"Look at that old lighthouse," said Anna. She took out her sketchbook and started to draw it. "Nobody uses it any more. It looks a bit sad."

"Sad, but interesting," said Lily. "I want to know its story."

A tall woman with short grey hair came to meet the new campers. She wore a green camp T-shirt with the words STAFF written on it.

"Hello, everyone! My name is Ms Hart, and I am your camp counsellor for the summer," she said. "Welcome to Camp Pine Lake. This camp is very old — more than fifty years old! Many of your parents were campers here too."

"Is that true about the lighthouse, Ms Hart?" asked Anna. "Does anybody go there?"

"Not for many years," said Ms Hart. "The lighthouse is old and not very safe. Nobody goes to the island without an adult. But come — let me show you the camp library first. It's my favourite building here."

The camp library was a small wooden house with hundreds of old books. The room smelled of paper and wood. Old photographs of past campers hung on the walls: children swimming, children singing around a fire, children rowing boats on the lake.

While Ms Hart talked to the other children about the camp rules, Max walked to a big, old bookshelf in the corner. Behind some books, he saw something strange: a small wooden box.

"Guys, come here," Max whispered. "Look at this."

Lily, Tom and Anna came closer. The box was old and dusty, with metal corners and a small brass lock. On the top, someone had carved three letters: J.W.

"J.W.?" said Tom. "Who is that?"

"I don't know," said Lily, "but this box has a lock. That means someone wanted to keep something secret."

"A secret box in a secret library," said Anna quietly, with a big smile. "This camp is more interesting than I thought."

Max tried to open the box, but the lock did not move.

"We need a key," he said. "Let's ask Ms Hart about it — carefully. Maybe she knows something about J.W."

The four friends looked at each other. Something told them that their summer at Camp Pine Lake was going to be very different from a normal camp.

Vocabulary

counsellor

a person who helps and takes care of children at a camp

carve

to cut letters or shapes into wood or stone

dusty

covered with dust; not cleaned for a long time

lock

a small metal object that keeps a box or door closed

whisper

to speak very quietly

loyal

always faithful to your friends

Comprehension Questions

1. Where is Camp Pine Lake, and what can the children see in the middle of the lake?

2. Who is Ms Hart, and what is her job at the camp?

3. What do Max, Lily, Tom and Anna find in the camp library?

4. Why does Lily think the box is important?

Exercise

Are these sentences True or False? Correct the false sentences.

1. Max, Lily, Tom and Anna are cousins. ___ True ___ False

2. The lighthouse is on a small island in the lake. ___ True ___ False

3. Ms Hart says that children can visit the island alone. ___ True ___ False

4. The wooden box has the letters J.W. on it. ___ True ___ False

Chapter 2. The Old Notebook

After dinner, the four friends found Ms Hart near the campfire.

"Ms Hart, can we ask you something?" said Lily. "We found an old box in the library, behind the books. It has a lock, and the letters J.W. on it. Do you know what it is?"

Ms Hart's face changed. She looked surprised, and a little bit happy too.

"J.W.," she said slowly. "That must be Jacob Walsh. He started this camp more than fifty years ago. Jacob loved puzzles and secrets. People say he hid small surprises around the camp for the children to find. But I never saw this box before."

"Do you have a key?" asked Max.

"No," said Ms Hart, "but there is an old key box in my office. Perhaps one of those old keys will work. Come with me."

In Ms Hart's small office, there was a box full of old keys of different shapes and sizes. The friends tried key after key in the lock of the wooden box. Finally, a small brass key turned with a soft click.

"Yes!" said Tom. "It's open!"

Inside the box, there was only one thing: an old leather notebook. The pages were yellow, and the writing inside was in blue ink, a little difficult to read.

On the first page, someone had written:

"To the curious campers who find this box: welcome to my last game. I loved this camp more than any place in the world. I am leaving something special for you to find — not gold, but something better. Follow the clues, and you will understand what I mean. Good luck! — Jacob Walsh"

"Something better than gold?" said Tom. "What can be better than gold?"

"Maybe he means something like... friendship?" said Anna quietly.

"Or maybe real gold," said Tom, with a big smile, and everyone laughed.

On the next page, there was the first riddle, written in careful handwriting:

"I ring in the morning, I ring at noon, I never talk, but I always sing my tune. Where you hear me first, look up, not down, and you will find a mark that has been there since the camp's first year."

Lily read the riddle again, slowly.

"A thing that rings, but never talks, and sings a tune... " she said. "I think I know. What rings every morning here at camp?"

"The bell!" said Max. "The old bell near the dining hall! It rings at seven in the morning and at noon, for lunch!"

"Look up, not down..." said Anna. "So we need to look up at the bell tower, not on the ground."

Ms Hart smiled and closed her notebook of camp rules.

"It looks like you have your first clue," she said. "I will let you look for Jacob's secret, but only during your free time, and only in safe places. Deal?"

"Deal!" said all four friends together.

Vocabulary

curious

wanting to know or learn something

leather

material made from animal skin, used for bags, notebooks, etc.

riddle

a puzzle or question with a clever, hidden answer

ring

to make the sound of a bell

noon

twelve o'clock in the middle of the day

deal

an agreement between people

Comprehension Questions

1. Who was Jacob Walsh, according to Ms Hart?

2. What do the friends find inside the wooden box?

3. What does the first riddle describe?

4. What rule does Ms Hart give the children before they start looking for clues?

Exercise

Complete the sentences with the correct word from the box: riddle, curious, key, notebook, deal.

1. The children found an old ___ full of riddles inside the box.

2. A small brass ___ opened the lock on the wooden box.

3. Jacob Walsh wrote a special message "To the ___ campers who find this box".

4. The first ___ was about a bell that rings every morning.

5. Ms Hart and the children made a ___ about looking for clues safely.

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