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Wildfire Run is a 2010 outdoor adventure novel for middle grade readers written by Dee Garretson. The story takes the classic Hero’s Journey described by Joseph Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949) and applies it to a modern setting. A fictional U.S. President's twelve-year-old son, Luke Brockett, gets trapped during a wildfire at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland, and must find a way to escape.

Synopsis
Wildfire Run is a story about testing the limits of bravery, taking responsibility for others, and overcoming adversity.

Plot
Luke Brockett, the twelve-year-old son of the President, is at Camp David with his best friend, Theo, for an August vacation before school begins. Luke has a whole team of Secret Service agents to protect him, but two of them are like his family. One, Adam Martens, is the agent closest to him, and the other, Sal Rossi, is the head of Luke’s security. Luke has been surrounded by Secret Service agents for years, and has never been allowed to do anything even slightly challenging or dangerous.

Small for his age and uneasy in his role as the President’s son, Luke is confident about only a few of his talents. He is good with computers, as is Theo. Luke can also climb any tree, and he can build almost any kind of gadget. The First Lady has arranged for the arrival of a third ‘camper’, Callie Lansa. Callie and Luke used to be friends, but time and circumstances have pulled them apart.

A major earthquake strikes Missouri, causing tremors all the way to the east coast, and triggering a fire in the woodlands around Camp David. An evacuation is ordered. On the way out a herd of deer, panicked by the fire, causes the car Luke and his friends are in to crash into the gatehouse. The car hits the gate closing mechanism, and the gate of the electric fence shuts. The gatehouse collapses on the car, injuring Adam. Another agent tries to open the gate, but receives a serious electrical shock from the damaged mechanism.

Luke, Theo, and Callie suffer only minor injuries. Sal, outside the gate, is frantic Luke is inside without agents to help him. He calls for a rescue helicopter. Before it can arrive, the fire closes in behind Sal. Luke knows Sal will never leave him alone, even if trapped by the fire, so Luke takes matters into his own hands. Luke must figure out a way to save himself, his friends and Adam, the injured Secret Service agent. While he uses his ingenuity to try to escape, Luke must also come to terms with his own fears, and learn the limits of bravery.

Development and publication
Dee Garretson wrote the book in the spring of 2008 during the presidential primaries. She was inspired by the knowledge that if either Barack Obama or John McCain became president, young children or grandchildren of the candidates would be put into the spotlight. Interested in developing a character who would face the unique challenges of having a parent as president, Garretson chose the setting of Camp David for the story. The book was purchased by HarperCollins Children's Books in the spring of 2009. Originally titled Escape from Camp David, the title was changed to Wildfire at Camp David and then to the final title of Wildfire Run. It was released in hardcover and in audio on August 31st, 2010, and in paperback in 2011.

Reception
The book was a Junior Library Guild selection in 2010. Wildfire Run is on nominee list for three state young reader's choice awards. It is also a nominee on the national list for The Children's Crown Award, 2013
 * Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Awards, 2013
 * Nevada Young Readers' Award, 2013
 * Nebraska Golden Sower Award, 2013

Audiobook
On August 31, 2010, a five hour and twenty minute unabridged audio book version, read by actor MacLeod Andrews, was released by Harper Audio.