Book Review: Wildfire Run by Dee Garretson

Title: Wildfire Run
Author: Dee Garretson
Author Website: http://deegarretson.com/

From the author website

WILDFIRE RUN – Just once Luke Brockett would like to do something slightly dangerous, but when your father is the President of the United States, that is not an option.

Always surrounded by Secret Service agents and kept in a bubble of safety, Luke sees Camp David, the presidential retreat in the woods of Maryland, as the only place where he can almost be normal. For one week in August, Luke’s mother has arranged for Luke and two friends to ‘experience nature’, if they can only manage to ignore the armed guards and the Secret Service agents all around them.

The experience comes to a quick end when disaster strikes. Luke and his friends are trapped inside, left on their own, the Secret Service agents incapacitated, forcing the three to outwit security systems designed to be unbeatable in their attempts to escape before it is too late.

My Thoughts
I love Twitter. It is my obsession. Now at this point in time you might be asking yourself why is this nerd starting off a book review with his love for Twitter. Well, to be honest and to cut to the chase I love Twitter for hundreds of reasons and of those reasons is that fact that I came across this book. I try to follow as many YA authors as I can and one of my favorite ways is do follow the ones who have a Twitter account. I was reading some tweets of some fellow online friends when this book was mentioned. It sounded good, I started to follow the author and was reading about her finishing up and getting ready to publish her second novel, Wolf Storm, coming out in September. At this point I figured I better go back and read her first novel, Wildfire Run.
 
As you read above about the basic plot summary this book is perfect for middle grade. I mean PERFECT. Once the first problem unfolds for these kids it is a nonstop action read all the way to the end. One thing just leads to the next problem. There is not stopping in the action and problems these kids have to face. With the setting at Camp David it made it even cooler.
 
This book is one that you cannot really find a good place to stop because it just begs for you to keep reading. There are no slow parts. I really enjoyed reading this book as my last little escape to end my Spring Break. Things are quite tricky for the kids being that one of them is the son of the president. So what might be something simple for a regular kid is not for Luke. I enjoyed reading about the aspects of the presidential life. Dee has referenced two books she read to learn more about the secret service and Camp David for research on this book and I really want to read them and learn more.
 
If you have not heard of this author or this book, then take the time to check out the book. It is worth your time. A perfect middle grade book especially this time of year when it feels good to just sit and relax. With all the crazy weather the world is experiencing lately this storyline of an earthquake and wildfires makes this seem even more real.
 
In the end, I loved this book and Twitter. Without Twitter I may have never been exposed to this novel.