Ground Zero

First Title Value for Searching:

Ground Zero

Personal Author:

Gratz, Alan, 1972-

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

304 pages ; 22 cm.

Genre:

Historical fiction.

Summary:

Brandon is visiting his dad on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 when the attack comes; Reshmina is a girl in Afghanistan who has grown up in the aftermath of that attack but dreams of peace, becoming a teacher and escaping her village and the narrow role that the Taliban believes is appropriate for women--both are struggling to survive, both changed forever by the events of 9/11.

Subject Term:

September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001 -- Juvenile fiction.

Afghan War, 2001-2021 -- Juvenile fiction.

Teenage boys -- New York (State) -- New York -- Juvenile fiction.

Teenage girls -- Afghanistan -- Juvenile fiction.

Survival -- Juvenile fiction.

Audience/Lexile:

Ages 8-12.

Grades 4-6.

690 L

Publication Info:

New York : Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., 2021.

Subject:

September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001 -- Juvenile fiction.

Afghan War, 2001-2021 -- Juvenile fiction.

Teenage boys -- New York (State) -- New York -- Juvenile fiction.

Teenage girls -- Afghanistan -- Juvenile fiction.

Survival -- Juvenile fiction.

New York (N.Y.) -- History -- 21st century -- Juvenile fiction.

Afghanistan -- History -- 21st century -- Juvenile fiction.

Historical fiction.

World Trade Center (New York, N.Y. : 1970-2001) -- Juvenile fiction.

Twin Towers (New York, N.Y.)

World Trade Center (New York, N.Y.)

9/11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001

911 Terrorist Attacks, 2001

Attack on America, 2001 (September 11 Terrorist Attacks)

Nine-Eleven Terrorist Attacks, 2001

Pentagon (Va.) -- Terrorist Attack, 2001

Pentagon-World Trade Center Terrorist Attacks, 2001

Sept. 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001

September 11 Terror Attacks, 2001

September 11 Terrorism, 2001

Terrorist Attacks, September 11, 2001

World Trade Center (New York, N.Y. : 1970-2001) -- Terrorist Attack, 2001

World Trade Center-Pentagon Terrorist Attacks, 2001

Afghan War, 2001-

Afghanistan -- History -- Anti-terrorist operations, 2001-2021

Adolescent boys

Male adolescents

Adolescent girls

Female adolescents

Survival after airplane accidents, shipwrecks, etc.

Survival skills

SAILS ISBN:

9781338245752

9781338747690

Available:

Library	Shelf Number	Shelf Location	Status
Searching... Acushnet Library	J GRATZ	MIDDLE READER	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Acushnet Library	J GRATZ	MIDDLE READER	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Ahern MS Media Center Foxboro	FIC GRA	Stacks	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Ahern MS Media Center Foxboro	FIC GRA	Stacks	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Ahern MS Media Center Foxboro	FIC GRA	Stacks	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Ahern MS Media Center Foxboro	FIC GRA	Stacks	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Ahern MS Media Center Foxboro	FIC GRA	Stacks	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Apponequet Regional High School	FIC GRA	Stacks	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Attleboro Public Library	MR GRATZ,A	MIDDLE READER	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Beckwith Middle School	FIC GRA	HISTORICAL FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Beckwith Middle School	FIC GRA	HISTORICAL FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Carver Public Library	J FIC GRA	CHILDREN FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... East Bridgewater Jr/Sr High School	GRA	FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Easton - Ames Free Library	JUV FIC GRATZ	CHILDREN FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Fairhaven-Millicent	JFIC GRATZ	CHILDREN FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Fiske Public Library	YA FIC GRA	YOUNG ADULT FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Foxboro - Boyden Library	J TWEEN GRATZ	1:TWEEN	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Holmes Public Library	YA GRA	SUMMER READING	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Keeley Library	FIC HIS GRA	FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Mansfield Public Library	Y FIC GRATZ	YOUTH-FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Middleborough Public Library	YA FIC GRA	YOUNG ADULT FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... New Bedford Bookmobile	J FIC GRATZ	BOOKMOBILE	Searching... Unknown
Searching... New Bedford Free Public Library	J FIC GRATZ	CHILDREN FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Norfolk Freeman Kennedy School	YA GRA	YOUNG ADULT FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Norfolk Public Library	JF GRAT	CHILDREN FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Norfolk Public Library	JF GRAT	CHILDREN FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Norton Public Library	J GRA	CHILDREN FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Pembroke Public Library	J FIC GRATZ, A.	CHILDREN FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Plainville Public Library	J GRA	CHILDREN FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Plympton Public Library	JF GRA	CHILDREN FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Raynham Library	YA GRATZ	YOUNG ADULT COLLECTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Rehoboth - Blanding Free PL	YA FIC GRATZ, A.	YOUNG ADULT FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Richards Memorial Library	GRATZ -- (SUMMER READING)	SUMMER READING	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Richards Memorial Library	GRATZ -- (SUMMER READING)	SUMMER READING	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Richards Memorial Library	GRATZ -- (JUV)	CHILDREN FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Rochester - Plumb Library	YA FIC GRA	YOUNG ADULT FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Seekonk - Hurley Middle School	GRATZ	FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Seekonk - Hurley Middle School	GRATZ	FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Seekonk Public Library	JFIC GRATZ	CHILDREN FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Somerset Public Library	Y GRATZ ALAN	CHILDREN FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Somerset-Berkley Regional HS	FIC GRATZ	LOCAL HISTORY/GENEALOGY	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Swansea Public Library	J GRATZ, A	CHILDREN FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Wareham Free Library	J GRA	CHILDREN FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... West Bridgewater PL	YA GRATZ, ALAN	YOUNG ADULT FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Westport Free Public Library	J FIC GRA	CHILDREN FICTION	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

The instant #1 New York Times bestseller.

In time for the twentieth anniversary of 9/11, master storyteller Alan Gratz ( Refugee ) delivers a pulse-pounding and unforgettable take on history and hope, revenge and fear -- and the stunning links between the past and present.

September 11, 2001, New York City: Brandon is visiting his dad at work, on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center. Out of nowhere, an airplane slams into the tower, creating a fiery nightmare of terror and confusion. And Brandon is in the middle of it all. Can he survive -- and escape?

September 11, 2019, Afghanistan: Reshmina has grown up in the shadow of war, but she dreams of peace and progress. When a battle erupts in her village, Reshmina stumbles upon a wounded American soldier named Taz. Should she help Taz -- and put herself and her family in mortal danger?

Two kids. One devastating day. Nothing will ever be the same.

Reviews (5)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 4--7--Gratz (Refugee) writes a searing indictment of America's involvement in Afghanistan, told through two gripping parallel narratives. On September 11, 2001, nine-year-old Brandon accompanies his father to his job at New York City's World Trade Center. The two are separated during the ensuing terrorist attack, and, with help from others, Brandon survives. Eighteen years later, 11-year-old Reshmina, living in a remote Afghan village, sees her country and family devastated by the Taliban and the U.S. military, despite both armies' claims of protection. Brandon's and Reshmina's lives intertwine in a fateful encounter that challenges America's policies as well as its presence in Afghanistan, and puts a human face on the resulting suffering. Vivid details immerse readers in the two disparate settings. The plot starts at a heart-pounding pace and never relents: Brandon and Reshmina's lives are in danger at every turn. In a superbly structured plot, the two protagonists experience similar perils, and both respond with determination and hope. Gratz provides readers with a brief history of Afghanistan and its occupation by foreign powers. Speaking through Reshmina, he concludes "the United States had surely destroyed Afghanistan." The book includes extensive back matter, making it an excellent choice for classroom discussion. VERDICT A contemporary history lesson with the uplifting message that humanity's survival depends on us working for, not against, one another. A must-have.--Marybeth Kozikowski, Sachem P.L., Holbrook, NY

Publisher's Weekly Review

Publishing in time for the 20th anniversary of 9/11, this tautly paced novel by Gratz (Resist) explores the events of that tragedy and the subsequent American response through two parallel story lines. In September of 2019, devoted student Reshmina, 11, lives in a mountainside village in Afghanistan, dreaming of a future other than marriage. When she rescues an American soldier who is wounded by the Taliban, her village becomes a Taliban target. On Sept. 11, 2001, after being suspended for standing up to a bully with his fists, nine-year-old Brooklynite Brandon Chavez accompanies his kitchen manager father to the Windows of the World restaurant in the World Trade Center's North Tower. In alternating perspectives, the narrative tackles grim realities of both scenarios, including ongoing violence in Afghanistan and bodies falling from the tower in New York, balancing the horrors with moments of grace and hope. While the U.S. story conveys immediacy and depth, the Afghan story lacks nuance, relying on simplistic explanations when describing the history of the Taliban and what draws Reshmina's twin brother to its ranks. Similarly, dialogue proves didactic as it works to convey the politics, history, and moral calculus surrounding the events. Ages 9--12. (Feb.)

Horn Book Review

Nine-year-old Brandon Chavez has been suspended from school for fighting, so he goes to work with his father at Windows on the World, a restaurant on the 107th floor in the North Tower of the World Trade Center. It is September 11, 2001. Brandon gets separated from his father before the disaster begins, then has to rely on, and help, strangers to survive. Fast-forward to September 2019, where Reshmina is an eleven-year-old Afghan girl living in a village miles from the capital of Kabul. Her older sister had been killed on her wedding day by an American drone, and her family struggles with the fear and poverty caused by a lifetime of war. Reshmina tries to talk her twin brother out of joining the Taliban for work and revenge, while reluctantly giving shelter to a wounded American soldier. Gratz (Refugee, rev. 11/17; Grenade, rev. 11/18) moves back and forth between the two narratives in short, nail-biting chapters that create a vivid picture of each setting and make readers feel invested in each character's relationships and choices, and in the high-stakes global forces that affect the intimate details of their lives. Big and small questions and lessons offered within the story worlds make this a great discussion starter (though some readers may benefit from additional context about Islam). A detailed author's note explains how Gratz used historical fact to inform his thought-provoking novel. Autumn Allen March/April 2021 p.88(c) Copyright 2021. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Review

Parallel storylines take readers through the lives of two young people on Sept. 11 in 2001 and 2019. In the contemporary timeline, Reshmina is an Afghan girl living in foothills near the Pakistan border that are a battleground between the Taliban and U.S. armed forces. She is keen to improve her English while her twin brother, Pasoon, is inspired by the Taliban and wants to avenge their older sister, killed by an American bomb on her wedding day. Reshmina helps a wounded American soldier, making her village a Taliban target. In 2001, Brandon Chavez is spending the day with his father, who works at the World Trade Center's Windows on the World restaurant. Brandon is heading to the underground mall when a plane piloted by al-Qaida hits the tower, and his father is among those killed. The two storylines develop in parallel through alternating chapters. Gratz's deeply moving writing paints vivid images of the loss and fear of those who lived through the trauma of 9/11. However, this nuance doesn't extend to the Afghan characters; Reshmina and Pasoon feel one-dimensional. Descriptions of the Taliban's Afghan victims and Reshmina's gentle father notwithstanding, references to all young men eventually joining the Taliban and Pasoon's zeal for their cause counteract this messaging. Explanations for the U.S. military invasion of Afghanistan in the author's note and in characters' conversations too simplistically present the U.S. presence. Falters in its oversimplified portrayal of a complicated region and people. (author's note) (Fiction. 9-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

With his signature accessibility and insight, Gratz tackles events on both U.S. soil and abroad in Ground Zero. Juxtaposed narratives alternate between September 11, 2001, New York City and September 11, 2019, Afghanistan, linked by destruction, death--and hope. Brandon, out of school due to a fight, finds himself in the North Tower when it's hit. Separated from his dad, he alternately helps and is helped by those trying to escape the terror they don't yet understand. Miles and years away, Reshmina's life has been disrupted by the terror of warring forces for as long as she can remember, but on this day she brings it closer than ever by aiding a wounded American soldier. Subtexts and well-developed secondary characters give readers fuller perspectives surrounding the political, religious, and sociological factors that contribute to the horrors Brandon and Reshmina are living through. The pace is quick (don't blink or you'll miss something!), its emotions deeply authentic, and the highly visual settings resonate with accuracy. With a moving author's note, pertinent back matter, and a surprise twist that brings the book full circle, Gratz delivers another winning read. Ground Zero will appeal to middle-grade readers, who were born after the events of 9/11, and to those adults who lived through it and will never forget.