Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Five paw prints

Tuesday, September 11, 2001 was a beautiful day. I wasn't too hot or too cold. There was a slight breeze.  There was hardly a cloud in the sky.  But in New York City everything was about to change. Sadly, Deja doesn't know about any of this.  9/11 was 15 years ago and Deja is only 10 years old. The only things she knows is that she and her family are homeless, she has to start a new school, and her father is never well.  Her old friends won't talk to her because she is homeless and she doesn't know anyone at her new school.  But there seems to be something that the kids in her new school know that she doesn't and when she learns the history of her home town of New York City she begins to understand why her father is always so sick.  The author of Falling Towers is known for her wonderful writing and this book is no exception.  I can tell you exactly where I was when the events on 9/11 took place and how many of my students lost family members that day.  I know too many people who think by not talking about these events we are protecting our children, but I disagree.  Children need to be taught our history no matter how painful and this is a wonderful book to start a conversation.  If you are interested in learning more about 9/11 then I suggest visiting the following sites with permission from an adult.  The sites are The New York State Museum at http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/exhibitions/ongoing/world-trade-center-rescue-recovery-response or the 9/11 Memorial at http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/exhibitions/ongoing/world-trade-center-rescue-recovery-response. An excellent video to watch (again with permission from an adult) is about the boat lift to evacuate people from the lower tip of Manhattan.  This video can be found at https://www.youtube.com/embed/MDOrzF7B2Kg?rel=0.  To learn more about that author and her books visit http://jewellparkerrhodes.com/children/.