Content Warning: This section contains graphic descriptions of the death of a parent and descriptions of prescription drug addiction.

Sam Castine is the 12-year-old protagonist and narrator of Wildfire. At the beginning of the story, Sam is spending his summer at Camp Wabanaski, a camp in the Maine woods. Usually, he lives with his mother in Wells, Maine, which is “out in the woods by the sandpits,” far from the touristy areas of the state (26). Sam is a remarkably resourceful boy who manages to use his skills to survive a deadly wildfire. He is a dynamic character who learns to rely on himself and his friends, finding his courage as the story progresses.

Sam’s survival skills are much better than those of most American 12-year-old children, even though he berates himself for getting lost in the woods in the first place. His biggest mistake in the novel is also his first: He goes back to get his phone instead of getting on the bus and evacuating from the camp. After that mistake, he generally makes the best decisions he can with the information available to him. He remembers his father’s advice to create a plan and then stick to it instead of panicking or giving up.