ground zero
MASL Book Trailer Winner
Ground Zero Book Trailer - Rylie D. from South Valley Middle School
About the Author
ALAN GRATZ is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of nineteen novels and graphic novels for young readers, including Ground Zero, Two Degrees, Captain America: The Ghost Army, Refugee, Allies, Prisoner B-3087, and Ban This Book.
Alan Gratz was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, home of the 1982 World’s Fair. After a carefree but humid childhood, Gratz attended the University of Tennessee, where he earned a College Scholars degree with a specialization in creative writing, and, later, a Master’s degree in English education. A member of the East Tennessee Writers Hall of Fame, Gratz lives with his wife Wendi and his daughter Jo in Asheville, North Carolina, where he enjoys playing games, eating pizza, and, perhaps not too surprisingly, reading books.
About the Book
Nine year old Brandon is trapped in the North Tower when an airplane slams into the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001. Nearly twenty years later in Afghanistan, eleven year old Reshmina struggles to survive when the U.S. and the Taliban use her village as a battleground. But the past and present are tied together, and Brandon and Reshmina are connected in more ways than they know…
September 11, 2001, New York City: Brandon is visiting his dad at work, on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center. Out of nowhere, an airplane slams into the tower, creating a fiery nightmare of terror and confusion. And Brandon is in the middle of it all. Can he survive -- and escape?
September 11, 2019, Afghanistan: Reshmina has grown up in the shadow of war, but she dreams of peace and progress. When a battle erupts in her village, Reshmina stumbles upon a wounded American soldier named Taz. Should she help Taz -- and put herself and her family in mortal danger?
Two kids. One devastating day. Nothing will ever be the same.
Praise for Ground Zero:
* Master storyteller Alan Gratz delivers a pulse-pounding and unforgettable take on history and hope, revenge and fear—and the stunning links between the past and present.—Scholastic
* The plot starts at a heart-pounding pace and never relents…A contemporary history lesson with the uplifting message that humanity’s survival depends on us working for, not against, one another. A must-have.—School Library Journal - STARRED REVIEW
* With his signature accessibility and insight, Gratz tackles events on both U.S. soil and abroad in Ground Zero….. Ground Zero will 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.—Booklist - STARRED REVIEW
* 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 character’s relationships and choices, and in the high-stakes global forces that affect the intimate details of their lives.—Horn Book
* Gratz’s deeply moving writing paints vivid images of the loss and fear of those who lived through the trauma of 9/11.—Kirkus
* This tautly paced novel explores the events of that tragedy and the subsequent American response through two parallel story lines.—Publishers Weekly
AWARDS
#1 New York Times Bestseller!
ABA Indie Bestseller List
Publishers Weekly Bestseller List
USA Today Bestseller List
2022 Hampshire (UK) Book Award Winner
2022 New Hampshire Great Stone Face Book Award Winner
2021 Grateful American Book Prize
Barnes & Noble Best Young Reader Books of 2021
2021 Amazon.com Best Books of the Year
2023 Wisconsin Golden Archer Middle Grade Book Award Nominee
2022-2023 Tennessee State Book Award Nominee
2023 Mississippi Magnolia Award Nominee
2023 Sakura Medal Nominee
2023 Utah Beehive Book Award Nominee
2023 Oklahoma Sequoyah Intermediate Book Award Nominee
2022-2023 Ohio Buckeye Book Award Nominee
2022-2023 Virginia Readers’ Choice Award Nominee
2022 Kansas NEA Reading Circle Recommended Titles, Junior Level
2022-2023 Pennsylvania Young Readers Choice Award Nominee
2022-2023 South Carolina Junior Book Award Nominee
2022 Texas Library Association Lone Star Reading List
2022 SIBA Southern Book Prize Finalist
2021 Sandhills Bestseller List
2021 Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best List—Best Fiction for Older Readers
2021 Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist
2021 Amazon.com Children’s Top 20 Best Books of the Year So Far
2021-2022 Junior Tome Society It List
2021 Amazon.com Best of the Month – February
2021-2022 Lectio Book Award Master List
Resources/Teaching Ideas
Scholastic Book Trailer - watch on YouTube
Book Talk with Alan Gratz - watch on YouTube
Audiobook excerpt, narrated by Bernardo de Paula and Ariana Delawari
Pre-reading activity:
Discuss in small groups what the term “Ground Zero” means to you.
What does the term “9/11” signify?
What do you know about the country of Afghanistan?
Make a list of questions you would like to find answers for about these concepts.
Discussion Guide: https://www.alangratz.com/writing/ground-zero/ground-zero-discussion-guide/
9/11 Memorial & Museum
Take a virtual field trip to the 9/11 Memorial in New York City on the site of the Twin Tower buildings
Culturally Responsive 9/11 Teaching Resources from Center for Islam in the Contemporary World
9/11 Teaching Guide from the Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility
Afghanistan
Essential question: How does the geography of Afghanistan affect the history of the country, and the people who live there?
Kahoot trivia game about Ground Zero
Social Media