Campfire Chronicles

A shy kid goes to summer camp for the first time and must navigate making friends, dealing with a cabin bully, and learning to open up at the big campfire talent show.

Twelve-year-old Jamie Chen stared out the car window as the trees got thicker and the road got bumpier. A wooden sign appeared through the pines: 'Welcome to Camp Whispering Pines!' Jamie's stomach did a flip.

'A whole week,' Jamie muttered under the hum of the engine. 'A whole week with people I've never met.' The thought of meeting a cabin full of strangers made Jamie's hands go clammy. 'What if nobody talks to me? What if they all already know each other?'

Mom pulled the car into a gravel lot full of other families unloading bags and hugging goodbye. 'You're going to have the best time,' she said, squeezing Jamie's shoulder. 'I promise.'

Jamie grabbed the big green duffel bag and stepped out into the warm summer air, which smelled like pine needles and campfire smoke. 'Okay,' Jamie whispered. 'Here goes nothing.'