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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
This short story was written to explain to children who were not alive on 9/11 the significance of that day. Deja is in 5th grade and is now living in a homeless shelter because her father, who she later learns was in one of the towers on 9/11 is suffering from a persistent cough and chronic depression and cannot keep a job. Her school looks out on the area where the towers were and on 9/11 the students who had been at school there had watched the towers fall. Now, on the year of the 15th anniversary of the towers falling, the school is covering a curriculum to explain what happened then so that the students will understand. The story is well told and interesting and I think that teachers will want to use it in their classes. I received this book free to review from Netgalley.
This book was every teacher's fantasy dramatized in a middle-grade book. It's what I fantasize my lessons are going to be like, what my students will be like, how impactful my teaching will be, and how easy it all will be...THIS year. It is a fantasy land that most certainly doesn't touch reality. Surprise, Rhodes admits that she wrote a book for teachers to teach with.
My question is this. Do children love reading books about effective lesson plans and super studious children taking everything hyper-seriously? Do children cry when they learn about 9/11 or see video footage of the towers being hit by a plane? I'm a very sensitive person who has cried plenty over this national tragedy, but I'd bet that 5th graders would be fascinated, not traumatized, at first. So either I have no idea what kids are like these days (possible) or I and the children I know are total outliers from the average American kid (also possible). I mean, my library kids are fascinated by the gory details of history. Gladiators? Toxic Fashion? Public hangings? The Guillotine? Plagues? Poisons? Pompei? Explosions of all types? Shark attacks? The Titanic? Bring it on. I've never seen a child cry over it. Again, it could be that my 5th grade self and the children I know are all weirdos, but that doesn't help us relate to the characters in this book.
For these reasons, I felt like the children and the lessons that happened in this book were ridiculously unrealistic. However, the book wasn't too bad once there was some action and details about what it was like to be in the towers on 9/11 and what it's like to have PTSD and how PTSD effects the whole family. This part was actually good, effective, memorable. But will students survive the snooze fest of the beginning? I'm not sure, and I hope so. Maybe they'll be reading it as a class read where the teachers make them suffer through this part, an experience in which the vast discrepancy between the real-class responses to the teacher's questions and the actual effort going into the writing prompts and homework assignments and those in the book will be where some other meaningful discussion lies.
I hope this lesson goes well, and I hope that teachers are inspired to use the lesson plans in the back of the book to teach about 9/11 and that it goes as splendidly as it does in this fictional account, but don't be too disappointed when it doesn't.
My question is this. Do children love reading books about effective lesson plans and super studious children taking everything hyper-seriously? Do children cry when they learn about 9/11 or see video footage of the towers being hit by a plane? I'm a very sensitive person who has cried plenty over this national tragedy, but I'd bet that 5th graders would be fascinated, not traumatized, at first. So either I have no idea what kids are like these days (possible) or I and the children I know are total outliers from the average American kid (also possible). I mean, my library kids are fascinated by the gory details of history. Gladiators? Toxic Fashion? Public hangings? The Guillotine? Plagues? Poisons? Pompei? Explosions of all types? Shark attacks? The Titanic? Bring it on. I've never seen a child cry over it. Again, it could be that my 5th grade self and the children I know are all weirdos, but that doesn't help us relate to the characters in this book.
For these reasons, I felt like the children and the lessons that happened in this book were ridiculously unrealistic. However, the book wasn't too bad once there was some action and details about what it was like to be in the towers on 9/11 and what it's like to have PTSD and how PTSD effects the whole family. This part was actually good, effective, memorable. But will students survive the snooze fest of the beginning? I'm not sure, and I hope so. Maybe they'll be reading it as a class read where the teachers make them suffer through this part, an experience in which the vast discrepancy between the real-class responses to the teacher's questions and the actual effort going into the writing prompts and homework assignments and those in the book will be where some other meaningful discussion lies.
I hope this lesson goes well, and I hope that teachers are inspired to use the lesson plans in the back of the book to teach about 9/11 and that it goes as splendidly as it does in this fictional account, but don't be too disappointed when it doesn't.
when asked a question, class, it's important to consider how it's framed. sometimes a question is a door to another question, another way of seeing. understanding.
disclaimer: rhodes deserves, in my opinion, a rating push for deciding to tackle such a sensitive subject. it must be an enormous pressure to write about 9/11.
i had never given any thought on how it must be to try and explain 9/11 to children. i've no idea about how to convey the impact to children without breaking them, without making them feel unsafe, without traumatizing them with the knowledge that such terrible and terrifying things happen in the world.
while i believe this book fails at its mission to educate children on 9/11 (i don't believe it does a very good job, in that regard and can give kids ideas about going and exploring by themselves), i do think it does a very good job at teaching or reinforcing points such as humanity, community, diversity and friendship.
this is an important book. i just didn't happen to love it.
disclaimer: rhodes deserves, in my opinion, a rating push for deciding to tackle such a sensitive subject. it must be an enormous pressure to write about 9/11.
i had never given any thought on how it must be to try and explain 9/11 to children. i've no idea about how to convey the impact to children without breaking them, without making them feel unsafe, without traumatizing them with the knowledge that such terrible and terrifying things happen in the world.
while i believe this book fails at its mission to educate children on 9/11 (i don't believe it does a very good job, in that regard and can give kids ideas about going and exploring by themselves), i do think it does a very good job at teaching or reinforcing points such as humanity, community, diversity and friendship.
this is an important book. i just didn't happen to love it.
‘Towers Falling’ by Jewell Powell Rhodes. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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‘Towers Falling’ is an impactful story about a young girl named Dejá who learns what it means to look past her own misfortunes in order to understand how the past has shaped her current circumstances. The novel reflects on the fifteenth anniversary of 9/11 and the importance of history, tolerance and acceptance. As someone who remembers 9/11, Dejá does not and does not understand its significance since it happened before she was even born. Her perseverance and acknowledgement of understanding the past really draws home the importance of history through a modern lens.
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‘Towers Falling’ is an impactful story about a young girl named Dejá who learns what it means to look past her own misfortunes in order to understand how the past has shaped her current circumstances. The novel reflects on the fifteenth anniversary of 9/11 and the importance of history, tolerance and acceptance. As someone who remembers 9/11, Dejá does not and does not understand its significance since it happened before she was even born. Her perseverance and acknowledgement of understanding the past really draws home the importance of history through a modern lens.
Book: Towers Falling
Author: Jewell Parker Rhodes
Genre: Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction
Age: Middle Grade
Started Reading: February 28, 2021
Finished Reading: March 7, 2021
Rating: 2 Stars (Plot: 3, Characters: 3, Writing: 2, Pacing: 2, Enjoyment: 2)
REVIEW
Plot:
There is an immense sea of voices of people who were affected by 9/11, and what really drew me to this book is how it tells just one of them, making me realize that there's probably so many other kids out there who have similar stories. There was also such obvious passion and care for the various beautiful themes presented, ranging from identity to healing to patriotism. However, I must say that the execution was off. Despite how amazing the story could've been, it definitely felt slightly flat and underwhelming.
Characters:
Deja was a great main character. Even though her development was slightly messy, she was still such a complex, well-developed character, while still being a believable 5th grader at the same time. Her resilience and hope were incredibly inspiring, and her characterization was an A+. Unfortunately, with the exception of Pop, the other characters weren't nearly as well written as she was. They were all pretty lackluster, including Ben and Sabeen. The two of them had such great potential to offer different perspective, but overall they really just felt like basic caricatures instead of the Deja's best friends. As for the relationships, the chemistry between the main trio was off, but they were still cute. On the other hand, the family relationships, especially Pop and Deja, were so complex and interesting.
Writing:
Though the writing was consistent and fit the story well, it was honestly not the best at all. A big problem I had was that there was a lot of telling and not showing when it came to the relationships and characters. I also feel like the author was trying to have a very natural and raw writing style, but it instead felt choppy and disconnected. The dialogue was also cheesy and felt quite unnatural. There weren't any writing moments that really resonated with me or stood out to me, so the writing was definitely below average.
Pacing:
I appreciated the pacing of the novel because it only rarely felt too fast or too slow. However, it was definitely jagged and messy at small moments. Also, there wasn't any atmospheric feeling built in the book, which is something I always look forward to while reading, so its lack of atmosphere made me sad.
Enjoyment:
As for my personal feelings toward the story, I honestly feel slightly indifferent, but I do learn more towards dislike than like. Though I appreciate and cared about the story, I don't feel many emotions or much connection while thinking about it. It had nice themes, but I didn't have that much of an impact on me and is overall pretty forgettable. That being said, I completely understand that I'm not that target audience. I definitely think anyone in the target audience would really enjoy this, so I highly recommend this too anyone in that age range.
Author: Jewell Parker Rhodes
Genre: Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction
Age: Middle Grade
Started Reading: February 28, 2021
Finished Reading: March 7, 2021
Rating: 2 Stars (Plot: 3, Characters: 3, Writing: 2, Pacing: 2, Enjoyment: 2)
REVIEW
Plot:
There is an immense sea of voices of people who were affected by 9/11, and what really drew me to this book is how it tells just one of them, making me realize that there's probably so many other kids out there who have similar stories. There was also such obvious passion and care for the various beautiful themes presented, ranging from identity to healing to patriotism. However, I must say that the execution was off. Despite how amazing the story could've been, it definitely felt slightly flat and underwhelming.
Characters:
Deja was a great main character. Even though her development was slightly messy, she was still such a complex, well-developed character, while still being a believable 5th grader at the same time. Her resilience and hope were incredibly inspiring, and her characterization was an A+. Unfortunately, with the exception of Pop, the other characters weren't nearly as well written as she was. They were all pretty lackluster, including Ben and Sabeen. The two of them had such great potential to offer different perspective, but overall they really just felt like basic caricatures instead of the Deja's best friends. As for the relationships, the chemistry between the main trio was off, but they were still cute. On the other hand, the family relationships, especially Pop and Deja, were so complex and interesting.
Writing:
Though the writing was consistent and fit the story well, it was honestly not the best at all. A big problem I had was that there was a lot of telling and not showing when it came to the relationships and characters. I also feel like the author was trying to have a very natural and raw writing style, but it instead felt choppy and disconnected. The dialogue was also cheesy and felt quite unnatural. There weren't any writing moments that really resonated with me or stood out to me, so the writing was definitely below average.
Pacing:
I appreciated the pacing of the novel because it only rarely felt too fast or too slow. However, it was definitely jagged and messy at small moments. Also, there wasn't any atmospheric feeling built in the book, which is something I always look forward to while reading, so its lack of atmosphere made me sad.
Enjoyment:
As for my personal feelings toward the story, I honestly feel slightly indifferent, but I do learn more towards dislike than like. Though I appreciate and cared about the story, I don't feel many emotions or much connection while thinking about it. It had nice themes, but I didn't have that much of an impact on me and is overall pretty forgettable. That being said, I completely understand that I'm not that target audience. I definitely think anyone in the target audience would really enjoy this, so I highly recommend this too anyone in that age range.
"I feel sorry for all those people in the planes and towers who were expecting an ordinary day."
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Realistic Fiction; most suitable for grades 4-7
What a powerful read! "Towers Falling" is a simple take on extremely complex themes/issues. It not only discusses 9/11, but also how this tragedy continued to effect people in their day-to-day lives. What makes this book so awesome and unique, though, is the authentic diverse characters the story revolves around. So many YA/Children's books include diverse characters just for the sake of diverse characters. But, Rhodes integrated these multiple identities and ways of being in such a real and authentic way. There is nothing cliche about this book which is why I love it so much. I cannot wait to read more of Rhode's masterpieces.
What a powerful read! "Towers Falling" is a simple take on extremely complex themes/issues. It not only discusses 9/11, but also how this tragedy continued to effect people in their day-to-day lives. What makes this book so awesome and unique, though, is the authentic diverse characters the story revolves around. So many YA/Children's books include diverse characters just for the sake of diverse characters. But, Rhodes integrated these multiple identities and ways of being in such a real and authentic way. There is nothing cliche about this book which is why I love it so much. I cannot wait to read more of Rhode's masterpieces.
My 6th grader has to read aloud every day so on the way to dance she reads to me in the car. This was a great story about how the Twin Towers has affected the next generation. A great read for children who weren't born when the Towers fell.