BREAKING CAMP

Listen to me, wise guy. I gave you one more chance, and you blew it. You're in trouble now, big trouble."" These threatening words spell danger for newcomer Ted Jenner, who's challenged Jack Dunn, the most popular and influential person at Camp Cherokee. In this story about confrontation and the abuse of power, Kroll convincingly portrays what it's like to be the victim of malice. At first, Ted is accepted into Jack's devoted inner circle. The unfamiliar camp setting becomes friendlier to Ted as he busies himself with horsemanship, archery and the daily routine. When Jack asks him to participate in the haunting of the old Wilson house, he agrees. The night is cold and strangely quiet as a van full of unsuspecting campers approaches the vacant house. Moments later, Ted watches in horror as Jack and his cohorts brutally attack a helpless boy--and for the first time Ted realizes what lurks beneath the surface of Jack's personality. After that, Ted opposes Jack's schemes and becomes the object of harrassment, until an incident at camp's end finally proves his case. The predicament of nonconformity often has nasty results, and Kroll has spared no gruesome details. Ted's struggle to overcome Jack becomes a fight between good and evil, acted out in realistic situations with enough suspense to keep the pages turning.