Remembering 9/11 through stories

 On this anniversary of 9/11, I find myself talking with young people about what they know about that day.  Some know a lot of facts based on what they have learned from their families and teachers.  This is when historical fiction novels and picture books about the event can help everyone learn more about the people who were affected by the events of that day.  Below I highlight my top picks for books for elementary and middle school readers who want to put people's stories with the facts of that day and beyond:

All We Have Left is a middle grade chapter book by Wendy Mills.  It's a realistic fiction mystery that  quickly flashes back and forth between present-day and September 11, 2001.  The flashbacks and fast-forwarded stories seem to be about two teenagers whose stories are disconnected: 16 year-old Jesse is going through a tough time as she grieves the loss of her brother on 9/11.  The question is, why was he there in the first place?  Back in the towers on that fateful day, we meet Alia, a girl who just decided to start wearing her hijab in public that day.  What brings these two together is a sad yet, hopeful tale of tragedy, loss, grief, friendship, family  and prejudice.

Mills' novel has been nominated for multiple awards and she even includes discussion questions for readers on her website.

Code of Honor is a middle grade chapter book written by Alan Gratz.  It's a suspenseful realistic fiction story about high school senior Kamran Smith.  He's enjoying his last year of school as he prepares to follow in his older brother, Darius', footsteps and attend West Point.  One night the TV news reports that his brother has now joined Al-Queda and is now a terrorist targeting the U.S.  Kamran doesn't believe it, even after watching his brother's video rampages about fighting off the evil in the world using games they made up as children.  Kamran and his parents are taken into custody for questioning and only one CIA officer believes Kamran's theories that his brother is innocent.  They work together to crack the code of messages Darius tries to send to his brother, but with an attack on the horizon, they'll need to work fast and in secret to get to the truth.

Gratz's novel was nominated for multiple awards and the audiobook version is quite compelling. Gratz has an excerpt on his website to read and share with potential readers.  He also has a new book out specifically about the events of 9/11:

Nine, ten: a September 11 Story is a middle grades chapter book written by Nora Raleigh Baskin.    This is a realistic fiction novel about four middle schoolers who the reader learns about a few days before the 9/11 attacks.  It seems like their lives cannot intersect at all, but in a twist of fate their paths do cross in surprising ways.  Baskin's novel was nominated for multiple awards.  

Here is a trailer for the book to share with readers:

14 Cows for America is a nonfiction picture book written by Carmen Agra Deedy, Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah and beautifully illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez.  This is a true story about what happened when people around the world heard about the 9/11 attacks, specifically, what a group of Masai warriors did in Kenya to help show their support for the people of the U.S.  There is a whole website dedicated to this book for reader to find out more about this event.  

Here is Deedy talking about how she came to writing about this true story:

Fireboat is a nonfiction picture book written and illustrated by Maira Kalman.  It tells the true story of a boat created by John J. Harvey in 1931.  For many years it was kept in the Hudson River as a relic of the past but it was called up on on the day of the 9/11 attacks to help firefighters fight off the fires from the attack for 4 days and 4 nights.  This is a great book to share with young people to focus on the first responders who did their best to save lives after the attacks.  Kalman's website has excerpts from the book to view with readers.