Not affiliated with Harvard College. This tautly paced novel explores the events of that tragedy and the subsequent American response through two parallel story lines. Explanations for the U.S. military invasion of Afghanistan in the authors note and in characters conversations too simplistically present the U.S. presence. The chapters detailing Brandons experiences surviving the attack and collapse of the Twin Towers alternate with those of an equally young Afghanistan girl named Reshmina. Ground Zero Summary & Study Guide includes comprehensive information and analysis to Alan Gratz. Brandon knows his father is dead. Ground Zero is a perfect combination of two different genreshistorical fiction and realistic fictionthat will teach you more about 9/11 and how much the Taliban has affected Reshmina and her village. 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. War has a negative impact on the lives of people. delivers a pulse-pounding and unforgettable take on history and hope, revenge and fear - and the stunning links between the past and present. For a Middle Grader reading this I recommend a parent reading this 1st to see if it is a story you child should read? The novel explores the consequences of war on innocent civilians who have no comprehension of the happenings leading up to the confrontation. Four kids fighting for their lives. September 11, 2001, New York City: Brandon is visiting his dad at work, on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center. I found myself rolling my eyes quite often at some of the not-at-all subtle hints of what was to come later in the book (it wasn't really foreshadowing - more like a wink to the older readers?) The young girl is torn between saving the life of the soldier and informing the Taliban about him. The first event occurs on September 11, 2001. 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. Categories: And not just for young people. Augusta Scattergood Desperate, Reshmina follows to head him off. 2021 Amazon.com Best of the Month February Alan Gratz is the bestselling author of a number of novels for young readers. Publishers Weekly, Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon. If I were still teaching 6th or 7th grade reading, this author would be one I could recommend to certain students. The following edition was used for this study guide: Gratz, Alan. With over 100+ Common Core aligned materials, students will develop their literacy skills while deeply engaging with the novel through this 6-WEEK unit. School Library Journal. The only issue I had with this book was the set up. Reshmina and Pasoon thus becomes engaged in a face-off over the fate of the soldier with the strange doll attached to his uniform. While performing his duty, a fire erupts in the kitchen and the young boy sneaks out to purchase the Wolverine gloves to hand over to his friend once he gets back to school. Nothing will ever be the same. Brandon Chavez is suspended from school for punching a bully who stole expensive Wolverine gloves from another student. Ground Zero study guide contains a biography of Alan Gratz, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Summary: Brandon has been suspended from school and is spending the day of September 11, 2001 with his dad, who works at the Windows of the World restaurant in the World Trade Center. With two action-packed perspectives, Gratz powerfully explores the ways in which the past shapes the present. Lois Lowry Brandons father, Leo Chavez, works as a chef at one of the restaurants situated in the North Tower. Gratzs deeply moving writing paints vivid images of the loss and fear of those who lived through the trauma of 9/11. influencers in the know since 1933. The takeaway message questioning the ongoing American presence in Afghanistan might have been quite different a decade ago. Brandon, a 9-year-old boy, goes to work for the day with his dad . Mr. Gatzs books can fill a much needed gap in literature for young people, and can help them develop a love for reading. 2022 Kansas NEA Reading Circle Recommended Titles,Junior Level Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2022. CHILDREN'S HISTORICAL FICTION, by will review the submission and either publish your submission or providefeedback. The story is told in alternation chapters. "Ground Zero Study Guide: Analysis". x100 Only with a million times the drama. Ground Zero study guide contains a biography of Alan Gratz, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and . The main characters are Brandon Chavez and Reshmina. This item cannot be shipped to your selected delivery location. The Ground Zero Novel Study is a comprehensive novel study for teaching Ground Zero by Alan Gratz. I also felt like this book would be much too intense for my 11 year old. Get it Jan 19 - 24. Violence leads to political and economic turmoil. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. After you claim a section youll have 24 hours to send in a draft. by ALAN GRATZ Paperback . In the elevator, Brandon feels a shudder before the car lurches precipitously. Therefore, there is a no-win situation in the war. 2022 SIBA Southern Book Prize Finalist As it turns out, Taz and the rest of his platoon have been lured int a trap by the Taliban and he is badly wounded. Anyone of any age can learn from this book and others by this author. Ground Zero is a novel authored by Alan Gratz imparting the effects of war. It looks like WhatsApp is not installed on your phone. When his father isnt looking, Brandon sneaks out to buy a toy in the mall. Reshmina helps a wounded American soldier, making her village a Taliban target. Apart from Lise's offstage death, there is little violence here; like Annemarie, the reader is protected from the full implications of eventsbut will be caught up in the suspense and menace of several encounters with soldiers and in Annemarie's courageous run as courier on the night of the escape. All opinions expressed are my own. CHILDREN'S SOCIAL SCIENCES | We did and saw the mess that happen after but it does make you wonder if it was all worth it. 2021-2022 Lectio Book Award Master List. Fights and revenge lead to more troubles rather than resolving the issues. I loved this book. The two head to Richards office on the 90th floor. Indeed, the conflict results in the destruction of properties and loss of lives from both ends. This is like the Stone Age. His 2017 novel. Lois Lowry Ground Zero: A Novel of 9/11 by Alan Gratz February 15, 2021 ~ Janet Dawson Published by Scholastic Summary: Brandon has been suspended from school and is spending the day of September 11, 2001 with his dad, who works at the Windows of the World restaurant in the World Trade Center. It was raw and emotional. He is not nearly as happy about the changes wrought by the American influence on his country and is making plans to join the Taliban. Brandon is the 9-year old son of a chef at Windows on the World, the restaurant atop the North Tower at the World Trade Center. thissection. Brandon, unsure what has happened, decides to take the stairs up, to return to his father. A Tear jerking story of survival that I won't forget anytime soon. Scholastic Press, 2021. Out of nowhere an airplane slams into the tower, creating a fiery nightmare of terror and confusion that threatens everyone in the building. You're awesome. As a girl, Reshmina worked from the moment she woke up until she went to sleep at night. September 11, 2001, New York City: Brandon is visiting his dad at work, on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make yourown. Brandon would not normally be available to spend an early September day at his fathers place of employment, of course, but it just so happens that he was recently suspended. Though ever cautious and fearful of the ubiquitous soldiers, she is largely unaware of the extent of the danger around her; the Resistance kept even its participants safer by telling them as little as possible, and Annemarie has never been told that her older sister Lise died in its service. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Brandon should be in school, but he has been suspended for punching a bully who took another kids toy Wolverine gloves. The World Trade Center is hit by a jet while Brandon is in the elevator, and he must find his way down 89 floors to escapeafter trying to go back up to rescue his father. Brandon has been dismissed from the school following the physical altercation between him and another boy. The 9/11 attacks led to the destruction of properties and the loss of innocent lives. 11- year-old Reshmina has never not known war. It is September, 2019, in a west Afghan mountain town near Asadabad along the Pakistan border. It is 2001, a beautiful September Tuesday in Manhattan. A few moments later, Brandon and his father arrive at the working place. Brandon accompanies his father to the World Trade Center on that fateful day. 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. 2022 New Hampshire Great Stone Face Book Award Winner And that perfectly logical coincidental series of events is how any number of conspiracy theories are born. When the villagers finally emerge, the village is rubble. The novel covers in alternating chapters the stories of two characters, Brandon Chavez, a nine-year-old boy living in New York City in 2001, and Reshmina, an 11-year-old Afghan girl living near Asadabad in 2019. With Brandons help, the people get off just before it drops down the shaft. Taz tells her he understands loss, that as a child he lost his father in the 9-11 attacks in New York, that afterwards he was adopted by a man he met in the Towers that day. Kirkus, This tautly paced novel explores the events of that tragedy and the subsequent American response through two parallel story lines. Gratz has done an amazing job of capturing the heart of 9/11 and making it appropriate for this particular age group. I liked this book until the last chapter when the author felt the need to put his political opinion in rather than stick to the historical background he used in the rest of the book. Ground Zerowill 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. Should she help himand put herself and her family in mortal danger? The Ground Zero Community Note includes chapter-by-chapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. The author of the Anastasia books as well as more serious fiction (Rabble Starkey, 1987) offers her first historical fictiona story about the escape of the Jews from Denmark in 1943. Ground Zero. When a battle erupts in her village, Reshmina stumbles upon a wounded American soldier named Taz. Not sure about reading more. The American soldier, disguised in a burqa, joins the family as they head to the caves under the village to hide before the Taliban arrives. GradeSaver, 17 February 2022 Web. Gratz 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 characters relationships and choices, and in the high-stakes global forces that affect the intimate details of their lives. I used small sticky notes to separate the two stories. The Question and Answer section for Ground Zero is a great Unknown to many of them, the building is under attack. Were glad you found a book that interests you! Her family and village become targets when they decide to extend sanctuary according to Muslim tradition when he enters their home. In his authors note he mentions that it has taken him 20 years to feel ready to write about 9/11, and I think he was wise to wait. There were lots of plot twists that were really pushed. She lives in a remote village where the Taliban lurk, and her twin brother is trying to find his own way. I live in the mountains of western North Carolina with my family, where I enjoy reading, playing games, and eating pizza. Follow me on Twitter: @alangratz, The plot starts at a heart-pounding pace and never relents A contemporary history lesson with the uplifting message that humanitys survival depends on us working for, not against, one another. Her twin brother, Pasoon, never forgave the American infidels and vows to join the Taliban insurgency. This tautly paced novel explores the events of that tragedy and the subsequent American response through two parallel story lines. The author is referring to the bombing of the World Trade Center in 2001 by terrorists. Glory cant believe it the Hanging Moss Community Pool is closing right before her July Fourth birthday. Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. With his signature accessibility and insight, Gratz tackles events on both U.S. soil and abroad inGround Zero.. The rumor had been started by the Taliban itself who then ambush the government troops. Two years earlier, Reshminas older sister had been killed when her wedding had been strafed by American drones dispatched under the mistaken assumption that wedding guests firing off rifles to celebrate were in fact a Taliban sniper nest. Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2023. It's September 11, 2001. Finally, she decides to help the soldier from being killed by the Taliban. Two Degrees. Gratz 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 characters relationships and choices, and in the high-stakes global forces that affect the intimate details of their lives. An editor The authors note tied everything up well - the history and his connection to this horrific day. Not affiliated with Harvard College. You can help us out by revising, improving and updating I really liked the book and the broken under ground mall part was great and the building falling over I do recommend it. I loved this book. Alan Gratz This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers. This book was very hard to read and upsetting, due to the nature of the subject matter. I needed to explain the context. If Pasoon goes through with his plan to join the Taliban and they find out his family has been concealing Taz, it will mean death for everyone. It was a great book, and interesting to read just after finishing I Am Malala, in my opinion! People should not tolerate the eruption of any war in their countries. When she heard the news that the Twin Towers were attacked, she desperately tried to get ahold of my grandma, great-aunt, and their tour guide/agency. All Rights Reserved. This MG book will be a hit with my students & generate a bunch of conversations between them & their parents. For this book alone I did something I've never done before. A must-have. This may be just be my new Gratz favorite. There are rulesYou punch somebody, you get suspended, no matter why you did it (5). Between 1 and 2 stars. When two planes hit the towers, Brandon and his father are trapped inside a fiery nightmare as terror and confusion swirl around them. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss thenovel. Scholastic Press, 2021. Get news and updates about the stuff Alan writes! Ground Zero by Alan Gratz | Official Book Trailer Watch on Praise The plot starts at a heart-pounding pace and never relentsA contemporary history lesson with the uplifting message that humanity's survival depends on us working for, not against, one another. This book captivated me and I read it in a day. 2021 Amazon.com Childrens Top 20 Best Books of the Year So Far Can they survive when their army is after him? About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . Can Brandon surviveand escape? We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. He did an exceptional job at showing us that it isn't "us against them". After you claim a section youll have 24 hours to send in a draft. Alan Gratz is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of several highly acclaimed books for young readers, including Ground Zero, Allies, Grenade,Refugee, Projekt 1065, Prisoner B-3087, and. September 11, 2001. His father talks to Richard. It went beyond 9/11. read more. Booklist, Gratz 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 characters relationships and choices, and in the high-stakes global forces that affect the intimate details of their lives. Out of nowhere, an airplane slams into the tower, creating a fiery nightmare of terror and confusion. The alternating narration explores two events that occur almost two decades apart. War leads to a lose-lose situation. RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1989. More books than SparkNotes. Cons: I found Brandons story much more compelling and suspenseful than Reshminas, which had to provide a lot of context about Afghanistan that took away from the action. Pasoon is Reshminas brother. It didn't seem that long ago when I walked home after school to find my mom in a frenzy - her mother and aunt had left for New York the week before on a bus tour and shopping trip around New York City. The author of the book, Alan Gratz, deliberately uses children to demonstrate how revenge culminates in the suffering of innocent victims. Not only that, she finds out the closures not for the claimed repairs needed, but so Negroes cant swim there. #1 New York Times Bestseller! resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss thenovel. illustrated by On the way into the Tower, Brandon helps a Black man trying to board an escalator while juggling three cups of coffee and his briefcase. There was a problem loading your book clubs. Trying to fix the damage done due to standing up to a bully, Brandon sneaks away from his father, who is a chef at Windows on the World. A soldier gets hurt and Reshmina gets her family to help him but at what cost. Alan Gratz. From Richards office, Brandon calls his father who reassures him they are all waiting for helicopters to rescue them. Study Guide: Ground Zero by Alan Gratz (SuperSummary) I didn't learn until the book was almost finished what the connection was between the two main characters. In his characteristic style, he ends each chapter with a cliff-hanger, then picks up the narrative of the other character.