Where Things Come Back

Where Things Come Back 1. The significance of the Title: Where Things Come Back is a novel written by John Corey Whaley. In the Novel there is a boy named Gabriel who randomly goes missing, the majority of the novel is about Gabriel being gone and how his family is doing. At the end of the novel he comes back to his family after 10 weeks of being kidnapped. This is why the novel is named Where Things Come Back, Gabriel finally comes back and then the novel is over this is the significance of the title. 2. Genre: Fiction 3. Date of Original Publication: May 3, 2011 4. Author: John Corey Whaley 5. Setting: The novel takes place in the small town of Lily, Arkansas. The population is just under 4,000. The span of the novel is about a year and the time period is in the twentieth century. The Novel takes place mostly in Cullen Witter’s house or with his friends around town. 6. Importance of this setting: The people of Lily don’t like the town. They have all tried leaving but have been unsuccessful; they have lost faith and just gone on with their life. The importance of the setting is how the presence of the Lazarus Woodpecker impacted Lily. The Woodpecker gave Lily hope that people would come and visit and would attract business. The smallest things in life gave the people hope of a better life in Lily, so even the Woodpecker gave Lily hope for a better future. 7. Plot: The story take place in Lily, Arkansas. Cullen Witter is a senior at high school and his best friend is Lucas Calder. Cullen is an average kid; he is bullied and has a crush on the hottest girl at school. His brother, Gabriel Witter is probably the smartest person he knows. Cullen and his brother have a very loving relationship. Summer was near and school was about to end. Cullen could finally get on with his life. During the first couple of weeks there is a sighting of a bird that has been thought to be extinct since the 1940’s. The Lazarus Woodpecker brought the people of