Radioactive fallout is unusual but not a phenomenon that never occurs. Nyle contemplates the consequences to her life after the accident in Cookshire. She wonders whether the animals will all die, what they will eat and if it will be okay for humans to touch one another. This rather apocalyptic thinking is very unusual for a thirteen-year-old. How does Nyle's point of view about the future differ from yours?

The stress that Nyle feels about her future is very real and very dark. Compare her stress and concerns to those of yours.

When Nyle wonders whether the attraction to the back bedroom the night she crouched in the hall was something "she'd rather not do," she decides that she will visit that room again the next day. What do you think changed in Nyle for her to accept freely that she will go visit the...