Tag: September 11th

REVIEW: I Survived the Attacks of September 11, 2001 (Graphic Novel) by Lauren Tarshis

REVIEW: I Survived the Attacks of September 11, 2001 (Graphic Novel) by Lauren Tarshis

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Edelweiss and Scholastic Graphix in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Lucas is a football player. But after a significant concussion – his third in 2 years – his parents decide he shouldn’t  play any more for his own safety. But Lucas decides to appeal to his “Uncle” Benny. Benny is Lucas’s dad’s best friend at the firehouse. Benny stepped up and helped Lucas’s family when his dad was hurt in a fire. He got Lucas into football in the first place. So Lucas cuts school on the morning of September 11, 2001 to talk to Benny.

While Lucas and Benny are near the firehouse, talking, the first plane hits the World Trade Center. As the firefighters head to the site and Lucas watches the news at the firehouse, the second plane hits. Lucas is alone at the station. He can’t get a call out to either of his parents. What should Lucas do next?

Review

This is excellent! The story is full, giving context to Lucas being in the city on a school day as well as giving football book-ends to the more serious pieces of the story. The basics of 9/11 are covered honestly, straightforwardly, with details that are appropriate for young readers.

The author includes her 9/11 story, told in comic panels at the end of the book. Other information about 9/11 and the aftermath is included in the backmatter. The artwork is stellar! Easy to follow, conveying the details of the scenes well.

September 11th, 2001, changed everything. And kids today were born into that changed world. They have questions about what happened that day. With the 20th anniversary coming up, this will be a great resource to answer some of their questions. I highly recommend this one for graphic novel fans, fans of the I Survived series, and kids curious to know more about this significant historical event.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!

REVIEW: The Places We Sleep by Caroline Brooks DuBois

REVIEW: The Places We Sleep by Caroline Brooks DuBois

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a physical review copy of this book from Holiday House in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

A novel in verse starring Abbey, a seventh grader in a new school in 2001. She’s trying to make friends, avoid the mean kids, and deal with her first period.

Abbey’s mom isn’t around to help her with her period. Planes flew into the twin towers in New York City and now her mom’s sister, Rose, is missing. Abbey’s mom has gone to help her brother-in-law with their kids while they wait for word on Rose.

Abbey’s dad is career-military. As the country tries to recover from the unthinkable, he’s preparing for deployment.

When the world seems changed forever, Abbey is trying to negotiate middle school while her family deals with the unimaginable changes in their day to day lives.

Review

This is a new-kid-in-school story, told in verse, and set with 9/11 as the backdrop. September 11th is an inciting incident. It changes the dynamics in Abbey’s home and in the world around her. It pulls her mom away and pushes Abbey to deal with her first period on her own. And it is why her father later gets deployed. There are threads on grief and war protests and racism against Muslims. But those aren’t the main focus of the story.

The focus is Abbey. It’s on her adjustment to a new school and to puberty. She considers questions of identity when it comes to her art. And she grows in her confidence to stand up when others are teased or harassed.

I have read other novels in verse – The Crossover (♥♥♥♥), Garvey’s Choice, Inside Out and Back Again (♥♥♥♥♥), Long Way Down (♥♥♥♥), Solo – and my reaction has been mixed. Some I love and others haven’t clicked. For me, I think it’s about how much I connect with the story being told and how the format enhances that story. And this one was fine, but didn’t grab me. I liked Abbey, and I cared about what happened with her family. But I wanted more. I think I wanted to go deeper on the emotions of Abbey’s story with 9/11. That just wasn’t the story the author chose to tell.

If you are building a collection of novels in verse, or you are looking for middle grade coming-of-age stories, be sure to check this one out. Abbey is a lovely character, and I think kids will like her. If you are looking for more stories that talk honestly with readers about menstruation, this could be a good choice. Abbey’s period really weaves through the whole book rather than just being a one-off incident. (Content Warning: 9/11, grief, deployment)

Rating: ♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥=Good/fine/solid

REVIEW: Broken Strings by Eric Walters and Kathy Kacer

REVIEW: Broken Strings by Eric Walters and Kathy Kacer

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy from Netgalley and Puffin in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Shirli Berman longs to be a performer. She dances and sings AND acts. And for her 8th grade year she’s tried out for the school production of Fiddler on the Roof. She was hoping to get the part of Hodel and get to sing “Matchmaker, Matchmaker.” Instead, she will be playing Golde, Tevye’s wife – an old Jewish woman with no solo. It was hard not to be disappointed.

It’s been five months since the World Trade Center towers fell on 9/11. Some people thought it was too soon for something as festive as a musical. But eventually the school decided it would be part of “moving forward” from the tragedy. A way to heal and get back to some semblance of normal.

Shirli’s grandfather, who she calls Zayde, has some old clothes and furniture in his attic that Shirli thinks could be useful for the musical. But when she looks through everything, she also finds an old violin and a poster for a music group. And one of the little boys on the poster is Zayde.

When Shirli shows him what she found, Zayde becomes angry, saying those things shouldn’t be in the attic. They were supposed to be thrown away years ago. What happened in Zayde’s past, and why does he want to keep it secret?

Review

This is one of the best books I have read so far this year (and I’ve read over 270 books so far)!! What a delightful surprise this was. I loved all the typical parts – the rehearsals and preparation for the musical, and the sweet middle school romance that might blossom. But there’s so much more!

Since the story takes place in New Jersey in late winter and spring of 2002, the characters are still reeling from 9/11. And there are some powerful scenes with Muslim, Jewish and Hindu characters around the events of that day. The scenes are amazing on their own, but they also address how America struggles, still today, with Muslims and other “brown” people because of the terrorists who struck that day.

But the story truly shines in the ways it addresses Jewish history through the musical and also through Shirli’s family. I can’t tell you how many times I cried as Zayde opened up to Shirli about his past. I learned things about the Holocaust I’d never heard/read before. And the authors did a masterful job of ensuring those stories impacted more characters than just Shirli.

This is a phenomenal story – delightful characters, and moving scenes about family, music and friendship. It also addresses heavy topics like 9/11 and the Holocaust in ways that are honest while also being kid-friendly. I’ve noticed a trend lately from publishers to have books targeted to older middle grade readers – 10-14 year olds. These books have excellent storytelling and meaningful plots without engaging in some of the more mature teen behavior you might find in YA books for older readers. Broken Strings is one such book.

My only complaint about this book is something I hope was fixed in the final editing process. This takes place in a Jr. High School with 8th and 9th grade students, but the book frequently refers to the 9th graders as “seniors” instead of “freshmen.” It happens so often, I forgot that Shirli is supposed to be 14 instead of 16. Hopefully that is just a factor in my early review copy.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It would be an exceptional read aloud at school or at home, and would also be a fantastic choice for a book group. Don’t miss this one!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥+++

REVIEW: Hope and Other Punch Lines by Julie Buxbaum

REVIEW: Hope and Other Punch Lines by Julie Buxbaum

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

For Abbi, it was her first birthday. She was celebrating at day care. She had a paper crown and a red balloon.

For the rest of the world, it was September 11, 2001.

Connie, Abbi’s favorite day care worker, carried her away from the World Trade Center. Someone caught a picture of them fleeing along with a handful of others as the first tower collapses. The photo goes viral. People have the photo framed in their homes or printed on clothes as a symbol of hope triumphing over evil. Everyone knows Abbi as “Baby Hope.”

Noah has been obsessed with the Baby Hope photo for years. But not because of Abbi. He goes to high school with her. But behind her, in the photo, is a guy in a University of Michigan hat and flannel shirt. A man who looks like Noah’s dad. While the story is that his dad died that day – while newborn Noah was in the hospital with a heart defect – the picture shows him – alive.

Review

This was everything I was hoping for when I first read the synopsis. Abbi and Noah are fabulous. They are my favorite sort of teens – honest, awkward, sincere, and sweet. Both carry the burden of 9/11, although in different ways. While for many people it’s remembered in a “where were you when” sort of way, 9/11 is a daily factor for these characters (and others in reality.).

The author weaves real factors from 9/11 into her fictional account, giving it extra weight. The stories characters tell about the aftermath – their gratitude, their grief – feel very real. And they are raw and heartbreaking at times. Yet the story as a whole maintains a hopeful tone. It’s really masterfully woven together.

Readers with personal ties to 9/11 could find this triggering for grief and/or trauma. Readers who are curious about 9/11 and the personal toll of the day and the aftermath will get a glimpse of that here. This is also a great story for anyone who loves teen romance, dual perspective storytelling or just terrific YA stories. Don’t miss this one!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥