MIDDLE GRADE HISTORICAL/REALISTIC/CONTEMPORARY FICTION : Ground Zero by Alan Gratz
ABOUT THE BOOK
In time for the 20th
anniversary of 9/11, bestselling author Alan Gratz delivers a
breathtaking, multifaceted, and resonant look at this singular event in
US history -- and how it still impacts us today.
It's September 11, 2001. Brandon, a 9-year-old boy, goes to work for the day with his dad . . . at the World Trade Center in New York City. When two planes hit the towers, Brandon and his father are trapped inside a fiery nightmare as terror and confusion swirl around them. Can they escape -- and what will the world be like when they do?
In present-day Afghanistan, Reshmina is an 11-year-old girl who is used to growing up in the shadow of war, but she has dreams of peace and unity. When she ends up harboring a wounded young American soldier, she and her entire family are put in mortal danger. But Reshmina also learns something surprising about the roots of this endless war.
With his trademark skill and insight, Alan Gratz delivers an action-packed and powerful story of two kids whose lives connect in unexpected ways, and reminds us how the past and present are always more linked than we think.
REVIEW
In Ground Zero, Gratz tells the stories of two children. Brandon experiences the horrors of 9/11 when he goes with his father to the World Trade Center that day because he's been suspended from school. When he sneaks away from his father's workplace on the 107th floor of the North Tower to buy a gift for a friend, he is separated from his father after the plane strikes the tower. At first he tries to get back to his father. When that proves impossible, he struggles to find a way out of the building meeting and helping and getting helped by a number of people along the way. This section of the story really brought back a lot of memories for me and undoubtedly will for others who lived through that day. But for children who weren't around it will be eye-opening. As in his other books, Gratz doesn't pull any punches, he describes some horrible things such as an elevator with people in it falling, a woman getting badly burned, and the people jumping and falling from the upper floors. Not a book for children who are especially sensitive.
The second part of the story, which alternates chapters with Brandon's story, is the story of Reshmina, a young Afghan girl. This story takes place in 2019, eighteen years after 9/11. Reshmina and her family live in a war zone, trapped between the Afghan army being assisted by Americans, and the Taliban. Having lost her older sister to a drone strike, Reshmina has no fondness for the Americans. Her twin brother, Pasoon, harbors a lot of bitterness and hunger for revenge. When Reshmina helps an American soldier who has been injured by bringing him to her home, Pasoon runs off to join the Taliban. As Reshmina struggles to decide what to do, war arrives on her doorstep forcing her family to flee. I found this part of the story especially eye-opening. Reshmina and her family are caught in the aftereffects of 9/11 even though they've never heard of it and know nothing of it's significance. This story is a powerful reminder that the innocent often pay for things they had nothing to do with. The discussions between Reshmina and the American soldier are especially thought-provoking.
Gratz has written a powerful story about tragedy, fear, survival, and trying to do the right thing. He shares with the reader a fictional version of events that have changed the lives of so many people. Both stories are powerfully told and will resonate with young readers. This is not a book that can be read without lasting impact. As far as content goes, the book does detail some of the events related to a terrorist attack and a war, as a result there is quite a bit of violence involved as well as some profanity. Keep that in mind when sharing with children.
Comments
Post a Comment