I Want to Go Home facts for kids
First edition cover
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| Author | Gordon Korman |
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| Cover artist | Rodrigo Moreno (2004 version) |
| Country | Canada  |
| Language | English |
| Series | Non-series |
| Genre | Adventure |
| Publisher | Scholastic Canada Ltd. |
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Publication date
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1981, 2004 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 188 ( 2014 version ) |
| ISBN | 0-439-96915-8 |
I Want to Go Home is a fun and exciting children's novel by Gordon Korman. It was first published in 1981. The story is about a boy named Rudy Miller who really doesn't want to be at summer camp. He tries everything he can think of to escape and go back home! The book was updated in 2004 with a new look and some changes to the text.
Meet the Characters
Rudy Miller
Rudy Miller is the main character of the book. He is a bit of a loner. Rudy is sent to summer camp even though he doesn't want to go. His school's guidance department made him go. Rudy is very smart and good at almost everything. But he hates camp, especially sports. He thinks very logically. With his new friend Mike, Rudy tries to escape the island camp. They try many times throughout the book.
Mike Webster
Mike Webster becomes Rudy's best friend at camp. He feels the same way as Rudy about camp and sports. Mike often laughs at Rudy's funny comments. His laugh is very catchy and makes others laugh too. Mike was sent to camp because he got really good grades. He jokes that if this camp is a reward, he'd hate to see what a punishment would be!
Chip
Chip is Rudy and Mike's bunk counselor. At first, he is very cheerful. But Rudy's tricks quickly make him annoyed and short-tempered. Chip gets tired of Rudy's constant remarks and escape attempts. He is usually the one who stops Rudy and Mike from escaping. Chip is also the first to figure out their plans. Even though he often threatens them, he worries about them the most when they get lost. He even defends Rudy from other counselors. They want Rudy to play on their sports teams.
Harold Greene
Harold Greene is Rudy and Mike's enemy at camp. He is often sneering and makes rude comments. Harold constantly makes fun of Rudy and Mike. He calls them "Nuts." Mike calls Harold a "twit" in return. Harold's mean comments usually start fights. Mike often stands up for Rudy during these arguments. Rudy usually stays calm and just makes observations. Harold's meanness makes him a target for Rudy's pranks.
Frank
Frank is the Head Counselor at Camp Algonkian Island. He is in charge of all the other counselors. At the beginning of the story, he asks the Camp Director, Mr. Warden, if there are any problems they should know about. This hints that Rudy will cause a lot of trouble for the camp staff.
Pierre
Pierre is the counselor who runs the Arts and Crafts activities. He thinks Chip is too serious with Rudy and Mike. Pierre believes that if the boys had a fun activity, they wouldn't try to run away. He later tries to understand Rudy's humor. This helps him guess some of Rudy's escape plans. Pierre admires how clever Rudy is.
Mr. Warden
Mr. Warden is the Camp Director. His grandfather, Elias Warden, started the camp over 30 years ago. Whenever something unusual happens, Mr. Warden says, "This is Camp Algonkian Island. It was founded thirty-one years ago by my grandfather, Elias Warden, and never once, before today, has [anything not normal happened]." He is a middle-aged man who seems to dislike kids. He believes things should always be exactly as they were when his grandfather ran the camp. This strong belief often stops him from seeing current problems. He doesn't notice most of the things that happen in the book. He learns that Rudy might be a problem. But he quickly forgets because kids were never a problem in his grandfather's time. His main rule is: "That's the way it was then, that's the way it is now."
