A teenaged pacifist and a PTSD-afflicted Marine form an unexpected bond over a secret buried in a decommissioned nuclear missile silo.
Twyla Jane Lee has one goal. To finish senior year so she can get out of her military hometown of Halo, Montana. But to graduate, she needs to complete forty hours of community service, and that means helping out a rude and reclusive former Marine named Gabriel Finch.
A young veteran of the conflicts in the Middle East, Gabriel spends his days holed up in a decommissioned nuclear missile silo on his family farm. Twyla assumes he’s just another doomsday prepper, readying his underground shelter for Armageddon. But soon she finds out the truth, and it takes her breath away.
Gradually the two misfits form a bond, and Twyla begins to unearth the secrets that have left the Marine battling ghosts. Her discoveries force her to question her views on the wars until she realizes that even if she gets out of Halo, she won’t ever be able to leave Gabriel Finch’s story behind her.
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3
Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.
A teenaged pacifist and a PTSD-afflicted Marine form an unexpected bond over a secret buried in a decommissioned nuclear missile silo.
Twyla Jane Lee has one goal. To finish senior year so she can get out of her military hometown of Halo, Montana. But to graduate, she needs to complete forty hours of community service, and that means helping out a rude and reclusive former Marine named Gabriel Finch.
A young veteran of the conflicts in the Middle East, Gabriel spends his days holed up in a decommissioned nuclear missile silo on his family farm. Twyla assumes he’s just another doomsday prepper, readying his underground shelter for Armageddon. But soon she finds out the truth, and it takes her breath away.
Gradually the two misfits form a bond, and Twyla begins to unearth the secrets that have left the Marine battling ghosts. Her discoveries force her to question her views on the wars until she realizes that even if she gets out of Halo, she won’t ever be able to leave Gabriel Finch’s story behind her.
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3
Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.
| Published By | Groundwood Books Ltd — Sep 1, 2017 |
| Specifications | 272 pages | 5.5 in x 8.25 in |
| Keywords | teenage relationships; death and bereavement; survival; military town; war veteran; PTSD; Middle East; post traumatic stress disorder; broken family; small town; forgiveness; courage; empathy; figurative language; first person narration; metaphors; simile; imagery; connecting; predicting; Common Core aligned; grade 6; CC Literature Craft and Structure; CC Literature Integration of Knowledge and Ideas; young adult; fiction; |
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Supporting Resources
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Excerpt Teacher's Guide |
| Written By | Nina Berkhout is the author of five poetry collections, most recently Elseworlds, which won the 2013 Archibald Lampman Award, and Arrivals and Departures, which was a finalist for the 2011 Archibald Lampman Award. The Gallery of Lost Species is her debut novel. |
| Written By |
| Nina Berkhout is the author of five poetry collections, most recently Elseworlds, which won the 2013 Archibald Lampman Award, and Arrivals and Departures, which was a finalist for the 2011 Archibald Lampman Award. The Gallery of Lost Species is her debut novel. |
| Audience | ages 14 and up / grades 9 and up |
| Reading Levels | Lexile Hl730L |
| Common Core | CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3 |
“Berkhout sensitively examines the loyalties we have to our ideals, to each other, and to our country.” —School Library Journal
“Berkhout spins an ambitious and sophisticated tale … A rich and jumbled mix of war and peace by an author to watch.” —Kirkus Reviews
“With this moving novel of self-discovery, Berkhout offers a mindful, timely reminder about the perils of blind faith and the power of change.” —Booklist
“Readers will be pushed to consider Twyla and Gabriel's disparate views on war, their divergent life paths, and the common ground that unites them in this timely, heartfelt coming-of-age story.” —Horn Book
“Berkhout creates a cinematic feel with her evocative language and scene setting.” —Quill & Quire
“Berkhout’s prose has a maturity that respects her readers and also underlies the seriousness of this compelling novel.” —Toronto Star