by Stan
The Beginning of a Strange Adventure
If someone were to tell you that the Bear Scouts would have an adventure that included desperate danger from crashing objects the size of cannonballs, the Beartown June Fete, atomic energy, and a magic crystal ball, you might say, “Hey, wait a minute.” Well, the answer to that is, “Hey, you wait a minute.” Because that’s just what happened. If you want to know the who, what, when, and why of how it happened, just keep reading.
It all started on a Saturday morning in June.
“What do you suppose she wants to see us about?” said Sister.
“Dunno,” said Brother.
“No idea,” said Fred.
Lizzy didn’t answer. She was too busy talking to a tiny cabbage butterfly that had lit on her finger. That’s the way it was with Lizzy. She often talked to butterflies and other like creatures. What’s more, they seemed to listen.
The troop was on Scout Leader Jane’s doorstep, waiting for her to answer the bell.
“Maybe you’d better ring again,” suggested Fred.
Brother was about to, when the door flew open and there stood Jane. She looked like someone who had wonderful news and could hardly wait to tell it. “Good morning, scouts. This way, please.”
The scouts followed Jane into the kitchen, where the table was set with five places. There was a glass of milk at each place and a big plate of raisin sugar cookies at the center. Raisin sugar cookies were Jane’s specialty.
“Looks like a celebration,” said Brother.
“Exactly,” said Jane. “Sit, please.”
“What are we celebrating?” asked Sister.
The scouts took their places, and the cookies were passed around. That first bite into one of Jane’s raisin sugar cookies was something special. They were crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, covered all over with fat raisins, and still warm from the oven. The second, third, and fourth bites weren’t bad, either.
“Have you ever heard of the Supertroop Merit Badge Award?” asked Jane.
“I think so,” said Brother. “But I’m not sure what it is.”
“Well,” said Jane. “It’s just the biggest, most important honor a Bear Scout troop can receive. And guess what? I’ve put you up for it.”
“Put us up for it?” said Fred. The scouts looked puzzled.
Jane picked up a folder that was beside her plate. It was filled with papers. “The Supertroop Merit Badge,” she said, “isn’t like the regular merit badges you’ve earned: the rock-climbing badge, the environmental badge, and others. It’s a special badge awarded to . . . but let me read what it says in the Official Bear Scout Handbook.”
Jane got up and left the kitchen. The scouts were still looking puzzled when she returned. She opened the handbook and started to read.
“‘The Supertroop Merit Badge Award is the highest honor in the annals of scoutdom. It is awarded to one Bear Scout troop each year by the Bear Scout High Council for achieving the following:
1. Living up to the highest standard of the Bear Scout Oath.
2. Earning five or more Bear Scout merit badges.
3. Serving the community above and beyond the call of Bear Scout duty.’
“There’s lots more,” continued Jane. “But it all boils down to this: I’ve put your troop’s record together in this folder. Today I’m sending it along to the Bear Scout High Council in Big Bear City.”
“Wow!” said Brother.
“How about that!” said Sister.
“Golly!” said Fred.
“Totally awesome!” said Lizzy.
“Hundreds of troops are submitted for the Supertroop Merit Badge Award each year,” said Jane. “It’s a very high honor indeed. Here’s what it looks like.” Jane held the guidebook open to a picture of the award.
The scouts were impressed. The award looked almost like one of those fancy belts boxers receive when they become champions. It made all those other badges look like something you’d get in a cereal box. The scouts thought how great it would look on display in their secret chicken coop clubhouse at the far edge of Farmer Ben’s farm. It might even impress the chickens who sometimes wandered in by mistake.
“When will the high council make its decision?” asked Brother.
“By the end of the month,” said Jane.
“What do you think they’ll decide?” asked Sister.
“How should I know?” said Scout Leader Jane with a hearty laugh. “I don’t have a crystal ball.”
About the Authors
Stan and Jan Berenstain began writing the Berenstain Bears series in 1962, with The Big Honey Hunt. Since then, more than 250 Berenstain Bears books have been published and sales of the series are nearing 300 million. Stan and Jan have left behind a legacy of arguably the best-selling children’s book series ever. Making the books has long been a family affair, with son Mike Berenstain writing and illustrating new stories about everyone’s favorite bear family. You can visit the Berenstains online at www.berenstainbears.com.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.
Back Ad
Copyright
The Berenstain Bears at Camp Crush
Copyright © 1994 by Berenstain Publishing, Inc.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins ebooks.
EPub Edition © 2013
ISBN 978-0-06-218893-9
Epub Edition © MARCH 2013 ISBN 9780062188939
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Originally published in 1994 by Random House, Inc.
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
http://www.harpercollins.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Canada
2 Bloor Street East - 20th Floor
Toronto, ON, M4W, 1A8, Canada
http://www.harpercollins.ca
New Zealand
HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1
Auckland, New Zealand
http://www.harpercollins.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
77-85 Fulham Palace Road
London, W6 8JB, UK
http://www.harpercollins.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
10 East 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022
http://www.harpercollins.com