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4.35 AVERAGE
4.35 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
My read aloud for my two sixth grade reading classes every year since Gratz released the book… no matter how many times I read the story, it never gets old! The story of Reshmina, the Afghan girl living in 2019, tells such an important, but lesser known perspective that children (and also adults honestly) in the USA hardly think about. Beautifully written, heavily researched and accurately depicted historical elements, and an engaging, complex dual perspective makes this book a must-read for tweens, adults, and everyone in between!
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Another winner from Alan Gratz! Two main stories: first, that of Brandon, 9, who is suspended from school for fighting and has to go to work with his single dad rather than stay home alone all day. His dad happens to work in the restaurant Windows on the World, in the World Trade Center, and the date is September 11, 2001. The second: Reshmina, an eleven-year old girl who lives with her family in a village in Afghanistan, in 2019. While out walking she discovers a wounded American soldier and has to decide whether or not to help him, because the Americans are the enemy of her people as much as the Taliban are, and an American drone strike killed her sister.
These two stories alternate (although not within the same chapter; I am happy that we get a whole chapter with one, then a whole chapter with the other, because I felt in Gratz's book "Refugee" he alternated the various characters' POVs much too quickly and too often. I got a lot of complaints about that from teen readers I used the books with. And I personally don't like fast-switching POVs either!) until they intertwine in the end in a unique way, hopefully surprising the reader although you might be able to guess the twist. Excellent historical fiction (man do I feel old, having to call a 9/11 book "historical") and a lot of action, as Brandon is caught in the elevator when the terrorist plane strikes the tower, and it's a nonstop terror/survival story from then on. But in an author's note Gratz explains that while he used some literary license, everything that happens to Brandon or those with him in the tower, actually happened to someone that day; he did extensive research. This is a brilliant piece of writing and a great way to explain the event to young readers, putting them in the shoes of people on both sides of the conflict.
These two stories alternate (although not within the same chapter; I am happy that we get a whole chapter with one, then a whole chapter with the other, because I felt in Gratz's book "Refugee" he alternated the various characters' POVs much too quickly and too often. I got a lot of complaints about that from teen readers I used the books with. And I personally don't like fast-switching POVs either!) until they intertwine in the end in a unique way, hopefully surprising the reader although you might be able to guess the twist. Excellent historical fiction (man do I feel old, having to call a 9/11 book "historical") and a lot of action, as Brandon is caught in the elevator when the terrorist plane strikes the tower, and it's a nonstop terror/survival story from then on. But in an author's note Gratz explains that while he used some literary license, everything that happens to Brandon or those with him in the tower, actually happened to someone that day; he did extensive research. This is a brilliant piece of writing and a great way to explain the event to young readers, putting them in the shoes of people on both sides of the conflict.
This book was hard to read. I think kids will love it, but for someone who would've been close to Brandon's age on 9/11, it was hard. I think Gratz did a great job weaving in the present day story with the history of 9/11.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Ground Zero was written by Alan Gratz and published on February 4th, 2021. This historical fiction novel follows two stories, exactly 18 years apart. On September 11th, 2001, Brandon went to work with his dad at the World Trade Center. While he is there, a plane hits the building and Brandon has to escape. In Afghanistan, September 2019, Reshima tries to protect her family and village from the war raging around her. The book follows these two stories simultaneously and wonderfully intertwines them at the end. This would be a great book for children ages 9 and up. In the classroom, this book would make a great read-aloud or book club book. It would be great to jumpstart a conversation on war or 9/11. At the end of the book, there are quite a few pages with more information about the events, which I think is very helpful. The only problem I had with the book was the pace. I think it was a bit slow and might lose the attention of unmotivated readers. <9/11> <war> <Afghanistan> <historical fiction>
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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:
No