I have had this book in my collections since I bought it in 2017. My intention since then was to read it on the anniversary of the attack. For some reason or another, I would or did not until this year. I wanted to read it as a pseudo memorial.
The author states in the back of the book that she did not want to even write the book but kids and librarians kept asking her to. So, she relented because it made sense that there were children that were either too young to remember the events or were born during or after that wanted to know.
The book tells the story of fictional characters who witness the very true events of September 11, 2001. The main character is Lucas whose Dad and "uncle" are members of a local firehouse in NYC. Lucas finds himself in downtown Manhattan just as the first plane hits. The horror is revealed but not in such a way that a middle-grade kid would be traumatized but to still understand.
Overall, the book was well written but ends rather abruptly and on a good-feel note. I can understand to some extent why the author did it this way. However, in the same sense those who remember, like myself, it is tough to read and to know the aftermath was not a feel good at all. Still the whole point of the book is so kids who would not know about our yearly memory are able to get at least a partial picture of what happened that fateful day.
One last thought and in the author's defense, she did include a historical timeline in the back and more details that could not be written into her story. This information can and should be talked over with an adult to answer any questions.
4 stars.
Disclosure: I purchased a copy of this book for my own collections. The views here are 100% my own and may differ with yours. ~Michelle
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