Quiet Thunder

Twelve-year-old Ezra has always been the quiet one — the kid teachers forget to call on. When a new teacher starts a debate club and Ezra accidentally wins the first round, everything changes. Can Ezra find a voice without losing who they really are?

Ezra sat in the back corner of the cafeteria, a paperback propped against a milk carton. It was the same spot every day — last table, left side, near the window. Nobody ever sat there, which was exactly the point.

'Invisible again,' Ezra thought, watching two kids nearly trip over the chair across the table without even glancing down. 'Perfectly invisible.'

A crumpled flyer landed on the table. Ezra smoothed it out and read: DEBATE CLUB — STARTING FRIDAY. COME FIND YOUR VOICE. Room 204.

'Find your voice.' Ezra mouthed the words silently. 'What if your voice doesn't want to be found?' Still, the flyer didn't make it to the recycling bin. Instead, Ezra folded it carefully and tucked it between the pages of the book.