A middle grade story that feels perhaps more geared toward upper elementary, this presents the reality in a way that is both honest and gentle.

In fact, I only read this book because I had heard it is being considered as part of curriculum.and because I know the day is fast approaching when I will be asked direct questions for which I need to be prepared to answer. I don't want them to know yet that there are people in the world capable of atrocities associated with terror. It is near impossible to know when or how to convey the enormity of September 11th to my blissfully unaware children. My children have asked more about the Marathon bombing because it was local, relevant to their safety, and of course, talked about on the bus. The author deserves accolades for her bravery in tackling this difficult subject.Įxplaining September 11th to my children is something I think of often. I would replace instead with also because this book did both of those things.

A book that didn't shy away from the tragedy but instead gave a sense of how citizens expressing our American identity were strong, brave and triumphant over terror.' Hmmmm. I have to start with the author's note, part of which reads '.I tried to create a book that teachers could teach. When she’s not writing, she’s visiting schools to talk about her books with the kids who read them, or teaching writing at Arizona State University, where she is the Piper Endowed Chair and Founding Artistic Director of the Virginia G. Jewell has received numerous honors including the American Book Award, the National Endowment of the Arts Award in Fiction, the Black Caucus of the American Library Award for Literary Excellence, the PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Award for Outstanding Writing, and a Coretta Scott King Honor. She has also published six adult novels, two writing guides, and a memoir. Her other books include Paradise on Fire, Towers Falling, and the Louisiana Girls Trilogy: Ninth Ward, Sugar, and Bayou Magic. Now she is the author of seven books for children including the New York Times bestsellers Ghost Boys and Black Brother, Black Brother. She wrote six novels for adults, two writing guides, and a memoir, but writing for children remained her dream. She began college as a dance major, but when she discovered there were novels by African Americans, she knew she wanted to be an author. Born and raised in Manchester, a largely African-American neighborhood on the North Side of Pittsburgh, she was a voracious reader as a child. Jewell Parker Rhodes has always loved reading and writing stories.

Towers falling by jewell parker rhodes