A review by bpol
Ground Zero by Alan Gratz

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Went into this pretty skeptical as it did not seem like a book I would like. I only read it (or even knew about it) because it was the IASL Teen Book Award winner last year.  I was pleasantly surprised by it and appreciated the intertwining of Brandon's story on 9/11 and Reshmina's story in Afghanistan 18 years later. I think it would be a good book to read with a middle schooler and talk about to be able help them gain some understanding of 9/11 and the US invasion of Afghanistan. Lots of good empathy building in this book.