NINE, TEN: A SEPTEMBER 11 STORY

NINE, TEN: A SEPTEMBER 11 STORY by Nora Raleigh Baskin

Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story by Nora Raleigh Baskin is the story of 4 kids that live in different parts of the United States and how the September 11 tragedy affected them. Covering a 3 day span in their lives, the book begins on September 9th. Sergio is African American and lives in Brooklyn, New York with his grandmother. Will lives in Shanksville, Pennsylvania and is trying to emotionally heal from the traffic accident that took his father's life. Naheed lives in Ohio and is a Muslim. Aimee has recently moved to LA because of a job opportunity for her mom.

This book does a good job of taking us to the heart of the kids' current lives and what a normal day looks like for each of them. For some that means trying to heal from tragedy or from a father that has walked out. Then, unexpectedly, 9/11 happens and their lives are changed even more. We are given a glimpse of the uncertainty and chaos that ensues. SPOILER ALERT The kids all make it and no one close to them perishes. The author explains that while that may not be realistic, her goal was to focus on how the tragedy brought them together. The book fast forwards to one year later where all four kids cross paths at Ground Zero. A healing has begun in each life.

HEADS UP- So why the cautions, because really overall this book is pretty good. Two reasons. The first one is the anti police message we get from Sergio when he decides to skip school one day. The message lasts for one page. The second one is that Will has a crush on a girl that he ends up kissing.