At the Firefly Gate

Newbery, Linda. 2007. At the Firefly Gate.

Henry is a young teen boy adjusting to his life after a move from the big city to the country. His parents have decided to buy a quaint little cottage in the English countryside. Amongst his worries about trying to make a new best friend, Henry is beginning to have questions about himself. Why is he the only one that sees a man outside waiting by the backyard gate--surrounded by fireflies--almost every evening at twilight? And why has been having these strange dreams at night about flying planes in world war II? These strange coincidences all begin to make a bit more sense when he meets his neighbors. One family has a great-aunt living with them, a woman named Dottie. She takes a special liking to Henry. And the two begin an unusual friendship. They play Scrabble together for hours. And they talk about 'the good old days.' Well, Dottie talks and Henry listens. But the strange thing is, some of what Dottie describes is exactly like the dreams he has been having. For example, when she tells him of how she met her wartime sweetheart, Henry, Henry already knows. He dreamed about it days or weeks ago. Yes, this is a time for strange things to be happening...

At the Firefly Gate is an enjoyable read.