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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
As someone who was in 4th grade when 9/11 happened I often wonder how children feel that are born now. I think Jewell handled the topic in a gentle but honest way. This is a great option for classrooms to do as a read aloud and use for class discussion.
History is alive, and this story of a girl too young to remember 9/11, but is directly affected by it nonetheless, does a great job of demonstrating how.
This is one of two books about September 11 I have read this year. This one takes place in present day (I would say), with the story of Deja, a girl who lives in a homeless shelter with her parents and two younger siblings. Her father has some sort of unnamed illness, which causes him to spend most of his time in bed. This leaves Deja to go to school and take care of her younger siblings while her mother works long hours. This shelter means she gets to go to a better school, where they start to learn about September 11 (which she has never heard of.) With the help of two friends, Deja starts to learn more about the world and her father.
Overall, I liked this book. There were a few parts where I felt confused, like the narrative jumped or put pieces together in a way I didn't entirely get. One thing I did like about this book is how it presents history as alive, and makes it real to kids today.
Overall, I liked this book. There were a few parts where I felt confused, like the narrative jumped or put pieces together in a way I didn't entirely get. One thing I did like about this book is how it presents history as alive, and makes it real to kids today.
When I first heard about this book I was mostly interested in it because to me, September 11, 2001 doesn't seem like history. I was in seventh grade and able to watch the live reportings as they happened. I never even thought about children who were not alive when it happened and what they might have to learn about it. This book takes a closer look at all of that. As a future librarian, I can definitely see myself recommending this to teacher and students alike.
Deja and her two friends, Ben and Sabeen, have gotten a strange series of assignments from their teacher. It talks about home and then goes on to talk about Americans in general and so on. When Deja is forced to ask her family questions, it brings up events that her father doesn't want to talk about. Together Deja, Ben, and Sabeen complete the project and find out more about themselves and America.
September 11th is a touchy subject. It's something that not many people have had the courage to write about, so I'm very glad that Rhodes did. (Especially with the 15th anniversary coming up, this event deserved to be talked about.) And to do it in the manner she did makes this story even better. She went over the "lessons" that they should have covered first instead of attacking it head on. It helps that she gave a bit of an introduction before going into the meat of the subject. This will mostly help the students who may not have any idea that this happened.
Also, as someone that is not the biggest fan of historical fiction, I really enjoyed this book. Maybe because I don't consider it history so much because I lived through it, but still I really enjoyed it. I tried reading it as someone Deja's age who probably knew nothing about the situation before it came up in their lessons. By trying to read it from this point of view I still felt like I was learning alongside them, This shows me that this book would make a perfect companion to anything about 9/11 being taught in public schools. This book is ideal for teachers and librarians looking to give a little more insight on the subject of 9/11.
Having lived through it (even only through television) this was a hard subject to read about. Even fifteen years after the fact, I still remember exactly what I was doing, where I was, and how scared I felt. Although history wasn't my favorite subject, it's always interesting to say you lived through it and watch others learn about it.
Deja and her two friends, Ben and Sabeen, have gotten a strange series of assignments from their teacher. It talks about home and then goes on to talk about Americans in general and so on. When Deja is forced to ask her family questions, it brings up events that her father doesn't want to talk about. Together Deja, Ben, and Sabeen complete the project and find out more about themselves and America.
September 11th is a touchy subject. It's something that not many people have had the courage to write about, so I'm very glad that Rhodes did. (Especially with the 15th anniversary coming up, this event deserved to be talked about.) And to do it in the manner she did makes this story even better. She went over the "lessons" that they should have covered first instead of attacking it head on. It helps that she gave a bit of an introduction before going into the meat of the subject. This will mostly help the students who may not have any idea that this happened.
Also, as someone that is not the biggest fan of historical fiction, I really enjoyed this book. Maybe because I don't consider it history so much because I lived through it, but still I really enjoyed it. I tried reading it as someone Deja's age who probably knew nothing about the situation before it came up in their lessons. By trying to read it from this point of view I still felt like I was learning alongside them, This shows me that this book would make a perfect companion to anything about 9/11 being taught in public schools. This book is ideal for teachers and librarians looking to give a little more insight on the subject of 9/11.
Having lived through it (even only through television) this was a hard subject to read about. Even fifteen years after the fact, I still remember exactly what I was doing, where I was, and how scared I felt. Although history wasn't my favorite subject, it's always interesting to say you lived through it and watch others learn about it.
If you do audiobooks, be aware that the recording is a bit frustrating to listen to. It’s a great story though, if maybe not super realistic in terms of the very last chapter just kind of happening? But it’s a good read, worth it.
This was a really good book that I would definitely recommend. I think my favorite part of the book was the theme: We are all united somehow. The author did a great job at conveying this message!
Accessible, thoughtful story about 9/11. As an adult it's hard to imagine kids not knowing about it and also hard to explain what happened and why to kids. I think kids will be able to connect with the characters in this book as they learn about 9/11 and be interested to learn more. I loved the diverse characters that make up the book so I feel everyone will be able to connect to someone. Will definitely be recommending this to my students who want to learn more about 9/11.
I finished Towers Falling on Jan 31st. I think this book is very relevant and important for students to read. Not only does this book discuss 9/11, but it also addresses the importance of history. Dèja starts off thinking history is not important because it happened in the past. Many of our students may feel that way too. I would read this book with upper elementary and middle school students. I would also have a conversation with students that have read this book.
challenging
informative
reflective
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
10 year old Dèja is starting 5th grade at a new school.
She and her family are sharing a single room at the Avalon Family Residence shelter and that zones her to Brooklyn Collective Elementary .
It’s September and Miss Garcia introduces a class project centered around community.
All the kids are excited to work in their groups and discuss the upcoming 15th anniversary of 9/11.
However, Dèja is clueless. What towers ?
How is it possible that a Brooklyn native, although not yet born during the attacks, doesn’t know about the horrific tragedies that occurred in her home state ?
Through these assignments, Dèja is able to learn the history surrounding 9/11, how it affected those around her, and what it means to be an American.
“History is dead. Not alive. It doesn’t mean anything if they don’t teach the whole story.”
She and her family are sharing a single room at the Avalon Family Residence shelter and that zones her to Brooklyn Collective Elementary .
It’s September and Miss Garcia introduces a class project centered around community.
All the kids are excited to work in their groups and discuss the upcoming 15th anniversary of 9/11.
However, Dèja is clueless. What towers ?
How is it possible that a Brooklyn native, although not yet born during the attacks, doesn’t know about the horrific tragedies that occurred in her home state ?
Through these assignments, Dèja is able to learn the history surrounding 9/11, how it affected those around her, and what it means to be an American.
“History is dead. Not alive. It doesn’t mean anything if they don’t teach the whole story.”
Audiobook with my fourteen year old. This is probably a 3.5 star story brought down with a 1 star narration. Typically, I love it when authors read their own books but the narration was soooo whiney, I just couldn’t get into the story. As my teen was into it and bothered less by the voice, we hung in there. The subject matter was important and it definitely gave a great first-hand account of 9/11, but the other narratives surrounding the story felt contrived and forced. This could’ve been so much better.