Lesson 24 — Activity 1: Chapters 13 – 14


Before starting this activity, please read chapters 13 and 14 of the novel. Remember to think about the strategies you can use as you read.


Chapter 13 describes the lunch meeting that Chris and Marina have with Mr. Ryerson and Ed Keller. When Mr. Keller goes to the incinerator with the two teenagers, his actions are directly related to the final outcome of the novel.

The opening scene of this chapter begins with Chris and Marina having lunch with her parents and her father's old friend, Ed Keller. While Mr. Ryerson is obviously sick and unable to eat due to his chemotherapy treatments, he is quite happy to watch Marina and Chris challenge Mr. Keller's assumptions about the safety of the incinerator. To satisfy his old friend's request, Ed Keller agrees to go to the landfill with the two teenagers.


When they arrive at the dump, they meet with Mr. Gibson, who again denies any issues with safety. Near the ash pits, dump trucks are being loaded up with ashes. Due to the lab reports he has read, Chris questions the activity, but Gibson claims it is a routine transfer. He also states that the lab reports are fake.

The chapter ends with an angry Marina kicking Gibson in the shin!

Chapter 14 of the novel focuses on Chris's determination to stay in Rocky Harbour.

When the chapter opens, you learn that Chris's father hopes to work in Western Canada. He hopes his concerns for the environment will not be ignored. Chris tells his father that he won't move with the rest of his family: he wants to stay in Rocky Harbour.

After missing work to meet with Mr. Keller, Chris offers to work the next day for free. His hard work impresses the boss. His boss decides not to fire him, but rather pay him for the day's work after all.


When Chris goes to visit Marina after work, he finds a note telling him that Mr. Ryerson is ill. The family has gone to the hospital, which is a half-hour drive away. Chris hitches a ride to the hospital with the same Purolator truck driver who had taken the birds to the lab. As he comforts Marina, he learns that her father is near death.

Before Mr. Ryerson dies, he tells Chris that he is glad Chris is going to be there to help Marina when he is gone.

Self-check!

Go to the next page to answer some multiple choice questions about some vocabulary words in chapter 14.
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