Alyssa

**Alyssa**, occasionally shortened to "Lyss", is one of the main characters in the series *Summer Camp Secrets*.

## Biography

Alyssa lives in South Jersey, New Jersey with her parents and is an only child. She attended Middle School with her two friends, Beckah and Rose. Unlike her camp friends, she never had a boyfriend or a crush, but in *Prankster Queen* she was mentioned to like Jenna's brother Adam but in *Best Friends?* and *Little Miss Not-So-Perfect* a rumour circulated that Alyssa liked Simon's friend Trevor and that Alyssa had "dumped" Adam for him. It was never confirmed if they were together or not and was not talked about again in the rest of the series.
Alyssa attended Camp Lakeview for three summers (four in *Camp Confidential* books nineteen and twenty. After book twenty she is never seen, heard or spoken of again.)

### Appearance

Alyssa is described as having long, jet-black hair which she often pulled into ponytails, but the night before the camp social in *Prankster Queen* she dyed her hair red which came out orange. In *Party Time!* she put purple highlights in her hair for the reunion and explained she got her winter coat from the Salvation Army charity. She is often mentioned wearing clothes flecked with paint, teaming them with skirts or jeans and boots or trainers.

## Personality

Alyssa is an artist, showing her talent off the most in *Falling in Like*. She is kind and often thinks carefully on her answers. In *Miss Manhattan* she explained to Natalie that she was sent to Camp Lakeview because her parents wanted her to "broaden her horizons" and be more social-able; Alyssa was mentioned as being quiet but actually doesn't speak unless she had something to say. This was proven in *Miss Manhattan* by the quotes below:

> "*Seated in the window seat next to Natalie was a very quiet girl with long, jet-black hair. [...] She hadn’t said one word to anyone since they boarded two hours ago, just opened up her notebook and retreated into her own world.*"
> ― Chapter One
>
>

> "*"Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer my tuna without any surprises," she mumbled. She was surprised to hear a snort from her right and looked over to see her seatmate stifling a chuckle. "Agreed," the girl said. [...] Natalie was so shocked by the sudden burst of conversation that she forgot to reply.*"
> ― Chapter One
>
>

## Relationships

* **Natalie Goode:** Alyssa's best friend at camp. They first met each other on the bus to Lakeview, where Alyssa was writing in her notebook and overheard Natalie talking to herself. Later that same day, Natalie invited Alyssa to play a card game. She was invited to Natalie's sleepover in New York in *Party Time!*. In *Three's a Crowd* she came back to camp just to see Natalie. In *The Clique* Natalie changed her friendship from Alyssa to Tori and Lainie Wilcox.
* **Tori Ann:** Alyssa's friend at camp. She was a new camper in *Three's a Crowd* who spent time with Alyssa, because the pair were talking about Natalie and Simon's first anniversary in secret. Simon asked them for help in picking out a gift, so Alyssa chose a charm bracelet and Tori wrapped it. In *On Thin Ice* Tori invited Alyssa on her ski weekend.
* **Adam Bloom:** Jenna's brother who took a liking to Alyssa at the camp social in *Prankster Queen*. In *Little Miss Not-So-Perfect* Valerie told Alex that Alyssa had started hanging out with Trevor so she can hang with Natalie more and Adam was upset. He and Alex eventually became a couple.
* **Trevor:** Simon's friend who Alyssa supposedly liked. He was mentioned but he had never physically appeared, and was never talked about again in the rest of the series.
* **Beckah:** Alyssa's school friend. She was highly supportive of Alyssa and her art work, including participating in the protest by wearing a wristband. Her first and only appearances were throughout *Falling in Like* and has not been seen or mentioned of in the rest of the series.
* **Rose:** Alyssa's school friend. She was more subdued than Beckah and covered her protest wristband when they arrived at school. Her first and only appearances were throughout *Falling in Like* and has not been seen or mentioned of in the rest of the series.

## Books

### Falling in Like

 In Alyssa's art class, her teacher announces a contest which she decides to enter. Her first painting, *Ode to a Woman*, is rejected because her teacher deemed it inappropriate. While Alyssa created - and tried to submit - other pieces, her first painting gained worldwide attention and sparked a protest called "Free Alyssa" with her friends and strangers participating. Alyssa explained to her school principal and art teacher and her principal says she is a smart girl, making her think she has seen "Ode to a Woman". After a couple of weeks of non-stop pressure, Alyssa announces in a blog post that "Ode to a Woman" is hanging in a small downtown gallery and Natalie's mother is thinking of commissioning art work from her.

## Trivia

* Alyssa is the only character whose parents didn't physically appear or speak, but she did mention them in *Miss Manhattan* and her dad was mentioned in *Falling in Like*.