Sophie's Friend in Need: A Sophie Alias Star Girl adventure

By Norma Charles

Short-listed for the Chocolate Lily Book Award, 2005

It’s summer 1950, and for 11-year-old French Canadian Sophie LaGrange, Camp Latona on British Columbia’s Gambier Island promises to be pure bliss. But then Sophie has to buddy up with a strange, unfriendly Jewish refugee girl named Ginette and things go sour. Soon Sophie learns that Ginette has her own secrets and anxieties, worries that explain the girl’s seemly bizarre behaviour.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dundurn
• Release date: May 1, 2004
• ISBN: 9781554886135

Norma Charles

Norma Charles is the author of the bestselling picture book, See You Later, Alligator, and 11 previous children's novels, including the Sophie Alias Star Girl adventures with Dundurn, The Accomplish (nominated for a Sheila A. Egoff Award), and All the Way to Mexico (winner of the Chocolate Lily Award). She lives in Vancouver.

Book preview

SOPHIE’S FRIEND IN NEED

ALSO BY NORMA CHARLES

All the Way to Mexico (2003)

Fuzzy Wuzzy (2002)

Criss Cross, Double Cross:

Sophie Alias Star Girl to the Rescue (2002)

The Accomplice (2001)

Sophie Sea to Sea: Star Girl’s Cross-Canada Adventures (1999)

Runaway (1999)

Dolphin Alert! (1998)

SOPHIE’S FRIEND IN NEED

NORMA CHARLES

Copyright © 2004 by Norma Charles

First Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher or, in the case of photocopying or other reprographic copying, a licence from Access Copyright (Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency), Toronto, Ontario.

This book is published by Beach Holme Publishing, Suite 1010, 409 Granville Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6C 1T2. www.beachholme.bc.ca. This is a Sandcastle Book.

The publisher gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts and of the British Columbia Arts Council. The publisher also acknowledges the financial assistance received from the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program (BPIDP) for its publishing activities.

Editor: Suzanne Norman

Production and Design: Jen Hamilton

Cover Art: Susan Reilly

Author Photograph: Brian Wood

Printed and bound in Canada by AGMV Marquis Imprimeur

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Charles, Norma M.

Sophie’s friend in need: further adventures of Sophie alias Star

Girl/Norma Charles.

A Sandcastle book.

ISBN 0-88878-449-X

I. Title.

PS8555.H4224S674 2004              jC813’.54                   C2004-905200-4

For my grandchildren, Clarissa and Tarin, whom I don’t see often enough

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I am grateful for the help of my writing friends and colleagues who offered wise advice about this manuscript in progress, especially James Heneghan, Irene Watts, Ellen Schwartz, Kathleen Waldron, Linda Bailey, Joan Weir, and Ann Walsh.

I would also like to thank everyone at Beach Holme Publishing for continuing to be enthusiastic Sophie fans, with particular thanks to publisher Michael Carroll and editor Suzanne Norman for their insightful editing.

ONE

The Seabird skimmed over the sparkling sea of British Columbia’s Howe Sound like a bird in flight. At least that was what the motorboat should have been doing. But with a load of twenty chattering girls, two young women counsellors, and camp supplies for a week, it was too heavy to skim. So it furrowed through the waves like a farmer’s plough, spraying salt water into the young campers’ faces.

Three girls shivered at the front of the boat and pulled up the blue canvas tarp as shelter. The tarp smelled dank and musty, but Sophie LaGrange didn’t care. She was much too excited. Camping! They were on their way to Latona Camp on Gambier Island for a whole week. It was summer 1950, Sophie was eleven years old, and it was the first time in her entire life that she would be away from her family.

She was sitting between her friend, Elizabeth Proctor, and another girl, who was buried in an oversize yellow raincoat. The girl hadn’t acknowledged Sophie’s presence, and she didn’t know the stranger’s name yet. When they first climbed aboard the Seabird, Sophie had said hi to the girl, but she had only nodded slightly without even glancing her way. She was a skinny, grey sort of person with pale straight hair, a pale ashy face, and pale grey eyes.

Sophie bounced and wiggled in her seat. Soon, soon, they would be at camp! She glanced back at Porteau Cove where Papa had dropped Elizabeth and her off that morning, after a two-hour drive from their homes in Maillardville. They had travelled through New Westminster, then all along Kingsway in Burnaby, right through Vancouver and across the Lions Gate Bridge, and all through West Vancouver to Horseshoe Bay. Then they’d driven along a steep gravel mountain road at the edge of the sea. Sophie had thought they’d never get to Porteau Cove, but they finally did.

Two Latona Camp counsellors had met them at the dock. After giving Papa a quick goodbye hug, Sophie had excitedly climbed aboard the Seabird with Elizabeth and they had grabbed the front seat.

I can hardly see the dock at Porteau Cove now, can you? Sophie now asked Elizabeth, staring back to where the dock blended into the surrounding foliage, beach, and water.

Elizabeth looked, too, then shook her head. Where’s that island? When are we going to get there? she muttered, her voice tight with worry.

Papa said it would take only half an hour, so we should be there soon. I bet that’s Gambier straight ahead.

A green island shaped like a broad haystack with steep, rounded sides and a bumpy top was taking form in the light mist.

I hope they don’t make us pray all day long at that camp, Elizabeth said.

I’m sure they won’t. Maman said that even though it’s run by Catholic Charities, kids from all different churches will be there.

Elizabeth seemed bleak. She blinked hard.

Sophie patted her arm. Your mom’s going to be fine, Liz. You know when my oldest brother, Joseph, had his appendix out, he was outside playing baseball with his friends the next week.

Elizabeth rubbed her nose on the back of her hand and sniffed. She nodded. That’s what my dad said. He said Mom might even be out of the hospital when we get back from camp.

A big wave crashed against the boat, and cold water suddenly sprayed into their faces as if a garden hose had been turned on full blast.

Elizabeth shrieked and ducked under the tarp. What if this boat flips right over and we all fall out and drown! she cried, trying to hold back her hair and red ribbon as the wind whipped them around her face.

Don’t worry, Sophie said, scrunching up her eyes as more spray splashed over the bow. We won’t flip over and we won’t fall out. Even if we did, we’ve got these life preservers tied on, so we wouldn’t sink.

Her hero, Star Girl, would never be scared about a little spraying water. Sophie worked her hand under her life preserver and into her jacket pocket, searching for her Star Girl Super Bounce Ball. She squeezed it. Months ago she had sent away for the ball using a form at the back of a Star Girl comic book. She had played with it so much that it wasn’t as shiny and red as it used to be. As long as she had her Star Girl ball, she wasn’t afraid of anything.

But I can’t swim very well, Elizabeth whined. I’d probably drown in a second in all that water. I knew I should never have come.

We’ll have lots of fun at camp. And it doesn’t matter if you can’t swim that great. Like I said, these will keep us afloat. Sophie cheerfully patted her bulky orange life preserver.

Oh, no! Elizabeth squealed. Look, mine’s come undone!

Here, I’ll tie it up for you. Sophie pushed her Star Girl ball deep into her pocket, then tied the long beige straps on Elizabeth’s life preserver into a tight bow. There. Tight as can be.

The water’s so deep here. Elizabeth peered over the side, her eyes widening. She stared at the waves cresting and splashing against the hull. I bet it’s a mile deep at least. And I bet there are sharks and even giant octopuses in the water.

Sophie shook her head. I’m sure there are no sharks around here. Right? she asked the silent girl sitting next to her.

Frowning, the girl pulled the hood of her raincoat lower over her eyes and turned away.

How come she’s so mad at me? Sophie whispered in Elizabeth’s ear. What did I do to her?

Elizabeth shrugged. She’s just rude, she whispered back, wrinkling her nose as if the grey girl smelled. She pointed at the stranger’s feet and giggled. The girl was wearing shiny white patent leather shoes with straps. The toes were scuffed and dirty.

Not exactly the best footwear for camping, Sophie thought. She couldn’t help giggling, too, as she admired her own brand-new navy running shoes that her mother had bought at Eaton’s especially for camp.

Elizabeth sighed. I’ll be so glad when we finally get onto dry land again.

The mist had evaporated, and the island loomed in the distance.

Hey, look! Sophie said. You can already see the trees on the island. And look at all those high cliffs.

As the Seabird drew nearer to the island, its motor slowed to a putter to avoid the jagged reefs and islets strewn with seaweed and bits of driftwood that rocked in the boat’s wake. A flock of gulls took flight and screeched at them, wheeling around on outstretched wings. The sea glistened as if it were covered with thousands of sequins. The boat rounded a point of land, and a collection of weathered wooden buildings nestled among tall evergreen trees at the edge of a horseshoe-shape bay came into view.

There’s the camp! Sophie shouted, excitement bubbling in her stomach.

Finally, Elizabeth muttered.

A sloping ramp connected the island to a long floating dock beside a rocky beach. At the top of the ramp a Union Jack on a pole flapped a friendly welcome.

What’s that big log building with all the windows? Elizabeth wondered aloud. Do you think that’s where we sleep?

I don’t know, Sophie said. Could be. Or maybe we’ll be staying in one of the smaller cabins behind it.

They wouldn’t expect us to stay in those old dingy things. They’re not even painted. Elizabeth sniffed and patted her hair ribbon.

As they approached the dock, the sound of the motor faded away and the boat bobbed gently against the dockside.

We’re here! Finally we’re here! Sophie quivered with anticipation. She licked her salty lips, eased her Star Girl ball out of her pocket again, held it in her palm, and gave it an extra squeeze.

Everyone remain seated, please, one of the counsellors directed from the back of the boat.

The counsellor’s name