Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
I liked this book about the importance of understanding how our history impacts our present. It has a very slow build, but it is worth it.
This book would make an excellent introduction to start a conversation about 9/11 with 4+ graders. It was informative and entertaining without being overbearing or overly dramatic. My only complaint is the narrator - I listened to the audio version and the narrator whined like a little baby for at least half of the book. I almost gave up on it because of that. I understand that the mc is only 10, but any 10yo who has been through as much as this girl and is as responsible as this girl is would not whine like the narrator does. Ugh.
I totally recommend this book - the printed version!! :-)
I totally recommend this book - the printed version!! :-)
This is more between a 3.5 star for me. The concept was one I hadn't really thought about. The fact that kids in school now were not alive during September 11th. I suppose it is like me learning about the Vietnam War or something that happened before I was born. There is the extra layer of interest and uniqueness because the main character Deja is living in a homeless shelter with her family. I think it is important to have that type of narrative in kids hands (on of the reasons I love Katherine Applegate's Crenshaw).
The book was a pretty slow start for me. I appreciated the glimpse in to the homeless shelter life and related issues such as safety, bathing, clothes, etc. It did start slow for me. And with the title of the book and cover being so obvious about the topic, I don't think it needed to take so long to introduce the point. The insta-best friends was a little bit of a stretch and a bit "convenient" for the diversity factor. I was also curious about how the dad could go 15 years and not receive much mental health or medical treatment for the post-9/11 ailments. It made me wonder, are there really people out there who have been unemployed for 15 years with PTSD?
I will say that some of the descriptions got to me. The image of people jumping from the windows is absolutely seared in to my own mind from watching the live coverage that day in 2001 and all the reports that came afterwards for days and days. Adults reading this book will definitely FEEL when you get to the 9/11 description parts but those are about 2/3 in to the book or more. I have seen other reviewers mention that everyone at the school was too nice but I don't really mind that. I think a layer of bullying would take away from all the other bigger events this book deals with.
The book was a pretty slow start for me. I appreciated the glimpse in to the homeless shelter life and related issues such as safety, bathing, clothes, etc. It did start slow for me. And with the title of the book and cover being so obvious about the topic, I don't think it needed to take so long to introduce the point. The insta-best friends was a little bit of a stretch and a bit "convenient" for the diversity factor. I was also curious about how the dad could go 15 years and not receive much mental health or medical treatment for the post-9/11 ailments. It made me wonder, are there really people out there who have been unemployed for 15 years with PTSD?
I will say that some of the descriptions got to me. The image of people jumping from the windows is absolutely seared in to my own mind from watching the live coverage that day in 2001 and all the reports that came afterwards for days and days. Adults reading this book will definitely FEEL when you get to the 9/11 description parts but those are about 2/3 in to the book or more. I have seen other reviewers mention that everyone at the school was too nice but I don't really mind that. I think a layer of bullying would take away from all the other bigger events this book deals with.
slow-paced
A tough subject to cover for a middle grade read. At first if felt like the dialogue was a little choppy but thinking about the point of view it is written from, it is understandable. Deja is the main character with a chip on her shoulder the size of a Boulder. Given the circumstances of her life, you can't blame her. She's in 5th grade, going to school with kids who don't have to worry about food or money, while she is living in a shelter with her family. I thought the author did a good job of tackling 9-11 and the effects it had on everyone no matter their social status. Deja finds acceptance in her new environment and learns about 9-11 through her teachers, her classmates and her Dad. A good read for those who don't know what happened that dreadful day.
It's not often I'm deeply affected by a middle grade novel but this was incredible.
The book is a little juvenile. The main character is 10 and doesn't know about 9/11. The fact that she doesn't know about it is the premise to the book and is essential to the plot however it makes it feel like she is younger than she is. I think the story could work for 6th grade or younger but I'm slightly hesitant to recommend it to older readers.
I thought the author did a wonderful job of tackling such a difficult subject: teaching children born after 9/11 what it was all about. I doubt many who lived through that event could ever adequately convey what we all felt that day and the days after, how our world changed. The writing was a little too fragmented for me, just not my preference. I loved the characters, their differences and their strengths, but oh how I wish kids could actually be this nice to each other!
Wow. Just, wow. Loved Deja's voice, the other characters, the authentic representation of a family struggling financially, and the care the author took in telling this important story.
Will be a great book to come back to when explaining 9/11 to my child. Helps open the conversation, yet doesn’t dig into all of the tragedy for elementary aged kids.