64 pages 2 hours read

This Is Where It Ends

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2016

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Introduction

Teacher Introduction

This Is Where It Ends 

  • Genre: Fiction; Young Adult Contemporary 
  • Originally Published: 2016 
  • Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 630L; Grades 9-12 
  • Structure/Length: Divided into 25 chapters with an Epilogue; approximately 288 pages; approximately 6 hours and 18 minutes on audiobook
  • Protagonist/Central Conflict: The story unfolds over 54 harrowing minutes of a school shooting, told from the perspectives of four students with personal connections to the shooter. The central conflict revolves around the terror of the event, the struggle for survival, and the complex web of personal relationships that weave through the narrative.
  • Potential Sensitivity Issues: Graphic violence; themes of death and trauma; depiction of a school shooting; references to sexual assault; emotional distress

Marieke Nijkamp, Author 

  • Bio: Born 1986; Dutch novelist; known for exploring stories of young people confronted with violence and adversity; New York Times best seller; uses they/them pronouns; has been a vocal advocate for diversity and representation in literature, especially regarding disability, LGBTQIA+ identities, and mental health.
  • Other Works: Before I Let Go (2018); Even If We Break (2020) 
  • Awards: America Library Association’s Teen’s Top Ten Award (2018)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

  • Personal Relationships and Family Trauma
  • Heroic Courage
  • How News Spreads Through a Community

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will:

  • Deepen understanding of the methods and benefits of discussing controversial topics in school to help students maintain respectful discourse when talking about characters and events in the novel.
  • Through paired texts, analyze, compare, and discuss textual elements such as allusion, style, theme, conflict, and character development to demonstrate understanding of the author’s choices and their effects.
  • Discuss and analyze textual elements such as structure, characterization, and style, and construct essay responses tying these elements to the novel’s themes of Personal Relationships and Family Trauma, Heroic Courage, and How News Spreads Through a Community.
  • Explore character, conflict, voice, and style by creating an original narrative from the point of view of one of the characters coping with the trauma of the novel’s events.
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