A friendship that spans generations

Newbery, Linda (2007). At the Firefly Gate. 152 pages. Grades 5-7.



At the end of his Sixth year in school, Henry and his parents move to an English town near a former World War II airfield. As soon as they move in, Henry begins to see a shadowy man standing by the orchard gate surrounded by fireflies. He begins to learn more about the man, without realizing it, after he meets Dottie, his neighbor's great-aunt. She tells him that he reminds her of Henry, her fiancé, who was a Royal Air Force navigator. Unfortunately, he never returned from his 13th mission. Henry begins to wonder if the man at the gate might be Henry, the navigator's ghost! In addition to these stories from Dottie, Henry begins experiencing strange sensations, including feeling as if he is in someone else's body, and hearing old planes flying over head. Dottie never found out what happened on her fiancé's final mission, but Henry may receive more clues that will help him figure out the entire story.