3. Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes

read the actual book from Bosler Library
20016,, Little Brown & Co.
223 pgs.
Middle Grade CRF
Finished 1/5/2019
Goodreads rating:  4.08 - 5679 ratings
My rating: 4.5
Setting:  Contemporary Brooklyn, NY

First line/s:  "Pop groans.  He's having bad dreams again.  I hear Ma trying to comfort him.  My little sister, Leda, squirms.  I whisper, 'Hush.  Sleep,' and tuck the sheet beneath her chin.  We share a bed.  She turns over on her side, her feet kick my knees."

My comments:  I was teaching fifth grade in 2001 when 9/11 happened and fourth grade fifteen years later.  It's such a difficult thing to discuss with kids.  For the first few years it was easier to talk about, because students were around during the horror and, even if only peripherally and protectively, heard about it.  But as years passed, some parents didn't want to scare their kids and were reluctant for it to be taught in school.  I read this in anticipation of having an "Examining 9/11 through Literature" session at the library for tweens, but I'm still unsure if I'd use this title.  As an adult, I loved the way it was written and the way all the information about that atrocious time period evolved throughout the book.  I loved that Rhodes put Deja and her family in a homeless shelter, and I love that she also used a wonderful, safe school for her to go to - yes, they exist!  The ending was a little to sugary, but the entire concept was excellent, powerful, and very, very really.

Goodreads synopsis:  From award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes, a powerful novel set fifteen years after the 9/11 attacks.
          When her fifth-grade teacher hints that a series of lessons about home and community will culminate with one big answer about two tall towers once visible outside their classroom window, Deja can't help but feel confused. She sets off on a journey of discovery, with new friends Ben and Sabeen by her side. But just as she gets closer to answering big questions about who she is, what America means, and how communities can grow (and heal), she uncovers new questions, too. Like, why does Pop get so angry when she brings up anything about the towers?
          Award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes tells a powerful story about young people who weren't alive to witness this defining moment in history, but begin to realize how much it colors their every day.