America Is Under Attack: September 11, 2001: The Day the Towers Fell

Gr 3-6—Specifically addressing young readers with no memory of that tragic day, America combines news reports with published eyewitness accounts. Brown's compelling narrative chronologically recounts the morning's events in a tone both straightforward and compassionate, without resorting to sensationalism. Brown's watercolor illustrations, covering most of each spread, mirror this voice, conveying the day's chaos and despair without unnecessarily frightening readers. The lack of a table of contents, chapter breaks, and an index suggests that this is a one-sitting read, but the book certainly contains enough information for research. An author's note, source notes, and a brief bibliography are included.—Rebecca Dash Donsky, New York Public Library

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Explaining the events of September 11, even 10 years afterward, is a task fraught with emotion. Brown's sturdy yet empathetic tone seems just right. Winnowing through the day's thousands of stories to focus on a representative few, he conveys suspense while maintaining respect, and pays understated homage to the heroism of the rescuers. Individuals who were inside the Twin Towers that day, or who went in to help--fire captain Jay Jonas, who led a team aiding an older woman whose bad feet made their exit agonizingly slow; Chris Young, who was trapped in an elevator and walked out unscathed--are studied in clear and telling detail. The worst moments--"at 9:59 AM the South Tower came down"--are recorded with journalistic calm. Brown's courtroom-style artwork draws little attention to itself; he focuses on the anguished faces of spectators as they watch from the ground, pans across the Manhattan skyline, and portrays a crew of firefighters huddled in a corner, engulfed in smoke. An invaluable resource for educators and parents, it's also unexpectedly comforting: "We got through it," Brown seems to say, "and we are still here." Ages 9-12. (Aug.)

Copyright 2011 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

"Brown's compelling narrative chronologically recounts the morning's events in a tone both straightforward and compassionate, without resorting to sensationalism." —"School Library Journal, " starred review "Brown's take...is a model of straightforward, earnest nonfiction writing that brings things to many an uncomfortable point—that cannot be avoided—without going too far." —"Booklist" "Ten years' distance from the events allows Brown to include in his carefully crafted narrative some details missing in even the best of the children's titles released closer to September 11, 2001." —"BCCB"