Team Canteen 1: Rocky Road - by Amalie Jahn

About the Book

Four unlikely friends bond over a seemingly magical hot pink boa at summer camp, and use its powers to confront personal challenges back home.

Book Synopsis

Now in paperback. A hot pink boa that might be magic bonds 4 unlikely friends from summer camp and gives them the courage to face down the challenges they face back home. This sassy, diverse series debut for tweens is perfect for fans of XO, Kitty, The Baby-Sitters Club, and Julie and the Phantoms.

On the final night of summer camp, Tasha, Raelynn, Claire, and Billie get busted stuffing themselves with ice cream in the mess hall's walk-in freezer. But when they slip away without being punished, they're convinced the pink feather boa Billie put on to stay warm is magic.

Back at home, each member of Team Canteen tests the boa's powers as they face their own challenges. When her little cousin moves in, Tasha struggles to find her place inside her adoptive family. Claire's scared the kids at school will find out how hard life's gotten since her dad lost his job. Raelynn longs to be someone other than her sister's twin. And with a hockey-obsessed family, Billie's worried he'll never be able share his dream of becoming a figure skater.

It's going to be a rocky road from the start of the school year back to Camp Happy Hollow. Will the boa continue to protect Team Canteen, or will their friendship end up being the most magical find of all?

Alternating chapters among the friends, Rocky Road is a smart, soaring celebration of the highs and lows of middle school and the unbreakable friendships that see you through.

Review Quotes

"Sweetly underscores friendship as a lifeline to self-acceptance." --Kirkus Reviews

"A spunky, heart-warming coming of age story, reminiscent of iconic series like the Babysitters Club. Team Canteen: Rocky Road proves that summer camp friendships are in fact unshakeable and can sustain us, even through the hardest of times. I loved following these four tweens as they found their voices, uncovered their passions, and stood up for what's right. A delightful, engaging read."-- Mariama J. Lockington, Stonewall Honor and Schneider Family Book Award-winning author of In the Key of Us and Forever is Now

About the Author

​USA Today bestselling author Amalie Jahn is the recipient of the Literary Classics Seal of Approval and the Readers' Favorite Gold Medal for her debut YA novel, The Clay Lion. Her first YA contemporary, The Next to Last Mistake, won the prestigious IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award in 2020 and A Walk Between Raindrops was selected by Kirkus as one of the Best Indie Books of 2023. A TED speaker, human rights advocate, and active promoter of kindness, she lives in North Carolina with her husband, two children, and three extremely overfed cats.