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4.35 AVERAGE
4.35 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-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
Such a timely book right now with the 20th anniversary of the fall of the twin towers a few days away and what is happening in Afghanistan. I really liked this story being told from two points of view a world apart from each other and separated by 18 years. Not going to lie, it was hard emotionally at times. But then again, it’s a story about horrific tragedy. The reader should feel something while reading it.
This book is an excellent look at the complexities of both the events of 9/11 and the war in Afghanistan that followed. It helps to explain to a generation born after the events that forever changed their lives before their birth how the world they live in got to be that way.
Can you believe it's already been (nearly) 20 years since 9/11? It didn't seem that long ago when I walked home after school to find my mom in a frenzy - her mother and aunt had left for New York the week before on a bus tour and shopping trip around New York City. When she heard the news that the Twin Towers were attacked, she desperately tried to get ahold of my grandma, great-aunt, and their tour guide/agency. Turns out, cell service wasn't working very well that day as everyone was trying to get ahold of loved ones. So we weren't able to do anything but follow the news, imagining the worst as we waited for the travel agency to get back to us with updates as to whether or not my grandma and her sister were scheduled to visit the Twin Towers that day or were in the area during the attack. Luckily, my grandmother and great-aunt were fine and had left NYC the night before and were on the road back. Many others weren't as lucky though, and this story was definitely an important one to be told and to remember the lives that were lost and the brave souls who sacrificed their lives helping others.
[b:Ground Zero|9659034|Thunder Dog The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero|Michael Hingson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1315519972l/9659034._SX50_.jpg|14546637] follows 9-year-old Brandon, who got suspended from school and had to follow his dad to work on September 9th, 2001. When the first plane hit the North Tower, Brandon and his dad were separated as Brandon desperately tried to find his way back to his dad. When the second plane hit the South Tower, realization hit - they were under attack and had to evacuate asap.
The book also follows Reshmina in present-day Afghanistan. Reshmina is an 11-year-old girl with the hopes of improving her English and becoming a translator. When she comes across an injured American soldier, she decides to help him but doing so is extremely dangerous and risks putting her entire village in danger.
Gratz did a wonderful job weaving both narratives and making both stories captivating, emotional, and educational.
I read [a:Alan Gratz|68794|Alan Gratz|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1604676729p2/68794.jpg]'s book, [b:Refugee|30358505|The Refugees|Viet Thanh Nguyen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1470284522l/30358505._SY75_.jpg|50866600] for the first time last year and loved it. I knew right away I just had to read his other books. This book, along with Refugee, has officially placed Gratz on my list of favourite middle-grade authors. The audiobooks were also wonderfully narrated and I cannot recommend them enough.
If you liked the following books, then you'll probably also enjoy [b:Ground Zero|52664722|Ground Zero|Alan Gratz|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1587404607l/52664722._SY75_.jpg|78476356], and vice-versa:
[b:Ground Zero|9659034|Thunder Dog The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero|Michael Hingson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1315519972l/9659034._SX50_.jpg|14546637] follows 9-year-old Brandon, who got suspended from school and had to follow his dad to work on September 9th, 2001. When the first plane hit the North Tower, Brandon and his dad were separated as Brandon desperately tried to find his way back to his dad. When the second plane hit the South Tower, realization hit - they were under attack and had to evacuate asap.
The book also follows Reshmina in present-day Afghanistan. Reshmina is an 11-year-old girl with the hopes of improving her English and becoming a translator. When she comes across an injured American soldier, she decides to help him but doing so is extremely dangerous and risks putting her entire village in danger.
Gratz did a wonderful job weaving both narratives and making both stories captivating, emotional, and educational.
I read [a:Alan Gratz|68794|Alan Gratz|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1604676729p2/68794.jpg]'s book, [b:Refugee|30358505|The Refugees|Viet Thanh Nguyen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1470284522l/30358505._SY75_.jpg|50866600] for the first time last year and loved it. I knew right away I just had to read his other books. This book, along with Refugee, has officially placed Gratz on my list of favourite middle-grade authors. The audiobooks were also wonderfully narrated and I cannot recommend them enough.
If you liked the following books, then you'll probably also enjoy [b:Ground Zero|52664722|Ground Zero|Alan Gratz|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1587404607l/52664722._SY75_.jpg|78476356], and vice-versa:
I love Alan Gratz, but his last two books just didn’t do it for me. I felt like Ground Zero took too long to tell the story, especially Reshmina’s version, and I felt like there were some parts that didn’t seem to make sense, such as Taz’s recovery and the wrap up of Reshmjna’s brother.
Read as a family. A compelling look at both 9/11 and the war in Afghanistan through the eyes of kids. Gratz takes complicated, current issues and using deft parallelism and a fast- paced narrative he makes them accessible and springboards for additional conversations.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
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
Alan Gratz is a fabulous author. This was such a tough subject, but I thought he did a great job with it. I loved the dual perspectives. Every action has a reaction and this book showed that well.
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
My students begged me to keep reading everyday. Another page turner from Alan Gratz that has some thought-provoking criticism of the American military and fostered powerful discussions in our class. I wish he co-wrote this with someone from Afghanistan so we could have an authentic voice for Reshmina.