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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
The excerpt from the back of the book instantly grabbed my attention - Deja commenting that she wasn't born when this happened (9/11), and why should she care? This conversation played out word for word on the anniversary of 9/11 during my first year teaching in 2008. This book takes place in 2016, and through class conversations and curiosity, Deja learns what happened that day and how her family, her dad in particular, was affected. I think this book will appeal to middle grade readers and is a good high-low book for secondary school readers too. I feel that the characters could've had more depth, but the book does a good job of tackling this sensitive subject.
This felt far too simplistic. I have read a handful of books that use 9/11 as a jumping off point, either telling the story from the point of view of someone connected to the towers and the event directly or using the events as a longer, more distance connection or perhaps as a historical event and all of them handle the situation much better than Rhodes does in this book.
I know that Rhodes attempts to tell the story through the eyes of a 10 year old, Deja, and her experience of learning about this in her new school as part of a STEAM unit. (Deja never uses that word of course, but as an educator who just finished a similar unit, I saw all the signs.)
Things, these big, heavy, consequential things, were dealt with far too easily. Yes, a ten year old will make a different meaning than her adult father but sometimes when an adult writes as a child, they simplify too much.
I know that Rhodes attempts to tell the story through the eyes of a 10 year old, Deja, and her experience of learning about this in her new school as part of a STEAM unit. (Deja never uses that word of course, but as an educator who just finished a similar unit, I saw all the signs.)
Things, these big, heavy, consequential things, were dealt with far too easily. Yes, a ten year old will make a different meaning than her adult father but sometimes when an adult writes as a child, they simplify too much.
This was a fantastic story that tackled issues of homelessness, divorce, prejudice, and how history relates to us today. The main character is 10 and slowly learns about 9/11 for the first time and while doing so learns to open up to friends. She also understands the struggles her family goes through better and how society fits as a whole. I highly recommend it!
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
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:
Complicated
An introduction to a difficult topic
Good novel that goes inside out on this issue of terrorism. It starts with the impact and traces the cause. It is not preachy, not offensive, not fluffy. A good book for latter grade school, early middle school kids.
Good novel that goes inside out on this issue of terrorism. It starts with the impact and traces the cause. It is not preachy, not offensive, not fluffy. A good book for latter grade school, early middle school kids.
I will never forget 9/11/2001 and where I was and how I felt when I heard and saw what was happening. This book was written in a way that was so perfect for educating a younger audience on this event. It talks about so many hard issues from discrimination to the residual effects on personal lives from the attack, etc. It describes the attacks in a way that is easy for children to understand but not too much for them to handle. I think my favorite thing about this book, though there are many, is that in a day and age where we hear about the division of our nation so often, the setting in this classroom/school is so positive and the people there are united. The children are kind and the staff to each other and give a great example for how we should treat each other. The overall theme of this book is that we are all connected and we are connected to history. We should care about the things that happened in the past and we should educate our children. This is a book that tackles the hard subjects and does it in a tasteful manner. I definitely want to own this book.
challenging
informative
inspiring
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:
Complicated
Nice book
Picked up this lovely, touching work from the “Staff Recommends” shelf at the library. And I, in turn, recommend it to all my teacher friends in the middle grades who are interested in introducing their students to a tough subject in an honest, empathy-driven way. The story focuses on Deja, a homeless girl in Brooklyn living at a shelter with her family, and follows her into a new school, new friends (a boy whose father is a Marine who volunteered after 9/11 and a girl whose Muslim family came to the US from Turkey), and a new lesson about the events on Sept. 11 that shed light on her connection to “home” and her own father’s PTSD. You’ll cry, you’ll laugh, you’ll learn.