The Mosaic (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781554989850)

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.

Author: Nina Berkhout
ISBN-10: 155498985X
ISBN-13: 9781554989850
Publisher: Groundwood Books
Language: English
Published: 09/01/2017
Pages: 272
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.80w x 0.90d

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 08/01/2017
School Library Journal 09/01/2017
Voice of Youth Advocates 10/01/2017 - Recommended - Better Than Most
Horn Book Magazine 11/01/2017 pg. 97
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2018 - Superior,Well Above Average