The Hatching of Joshua Cobb

It's not heartening to find, on your first day at summer camp, that the cabin counselor is a mean, red-faced bully who insists on calling you Corn Cobb when your name is Josh. But Josh wasn't the only one Bert picked on. His fellow residents of Cabin 13 — Jumbo Jones, Boris Morris, and Spider Spears — got their new names from Bert, too. The four soon saw they would have to stick together if life at Camp Buddy was going to be at all livable.Josh had never been away from home before; he wasn't good at sports; and soon he heard Bert tell the swimming counselor, "That's Cobb, I've got him in my cabin. I didn't think he could swim, and he can't. Probably can't do anything." And the miserable two weeks had only just started! They turn out to be eventful weeks for Josh, his new pals, and especially for Bert.Any boy or girl who has ever been to camp or heard about it — who knows of treasure hunts, campfires, and overnight hikes — will recognize Camp Buddy as the real thing.