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4.35 AVERAGE
4.35 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
good lil book! this day was a crazy day that Noone will ever forget.
I cried... several times!!! Such an amazing book and I loved the two perspectives ❤
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Ground Zero offers a tense, painful look inside an experience that modern middle grade readers are increasingly disconnected from. As an adult who was an adult when 9/11 and the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan occurred, this still offers unique insights from the perspective of young people who were face to face with these horrors. Albeit fiction, we know enough about their experiences that it feels painfully real. Their lives were fraught with horrors no child should ever endure, and I recommend talking to your young person (or young person, talk to an adult) to sort the many issues addressed here. Even though there is no resolution to the turmoil from these events, the story uses its characters to illuminates how complex the “War on Terror” and American superiority was, and is.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Suicide, Violence, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail
challenging
informative
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
Enjoyed the writing, and the book until the last chapter. I can’t “like” a book that disparages the US Army and calls them bullies.
The last chapter wasn’t needed and didn’t add anything to the narrative other than asserting the writers political stance.
The last chapter wasn’t needed and didn’t add anything to the narrative other than asserting the writers political stance.
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I wondered if I was ready to read a story about 9/11 and turns out I wasn't. Good storytelling here as two stories intertwine. Brandon, a teen who has been suspended from school, goes to work with his father on 9/11. His father works at the restaurant at the top of the North Tower. After he and his father argue, Brandon takes off on an errand that takes him below the impact levels. Brandon survives; his father does not. In alternating chapters, the story of Reshmina, a young girl in Afghanistan, is told. It's about ten years since 9/11 has passed and Reshmina's village and family life is a battle zone. Taliban and American troops fight all around. Her brother's anger leads him to join the Taliban, much of Reshmina's sorrow. Reshmina befriends an injured American soldier which puts her family and village in great danger. This friendship adds an interesting twist to the story, but it also raises the point that many of the villagers have never heard of 9/11 and don't understand why Americans are in their county making their lives miserable. Interesting references to different root causes for revenge.
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
As far as I could find the events in the book were at least mostly based around fact. I personally do not have the political/historical knowledge to know of the accuracy surrounding the events and actions of the U.S. invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, and as such can not speak to whether any bias was shown one way or the other in the telling of events. The story is compelling, and the characters as children in tragedy are very easy to route for. While I occasionally found the intelligence of the children to be unrealistic considering their age, it was not impossibly so. I enjoyed the read in spite of its obviously sad subject matter, and would recommend it to anyone interested in the subject matter and the correct age for the book.