I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the GROUND ZERO by Alan Gratz Blog Tour
hosted by Rockstar Book Tours.
Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
About The Book:
Title: GROUND ZERO
Author: Alan Gratz
Pub. Date: February 2, 2021
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook
Pages: 336
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle,
Audible, B&N,
iBooks,
Kobo,
TBD, Bookshop.org
In time for the twentieth anniversary of 9/11, master storyteller Alan Gratz (Refugee) delivers a pulse-pounding and unforgettable take on history and hope, revenge and fear — and the stunning links between the past and present.
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, 2020, 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.
Says
Alan Gratz: “For all its horrors, 9/11 is also the story of people
coming together to help one another in a time of crisis. And for all the death
and destruction the war has brought to Afghanistan, it has also meant the end
of the Taliban as the country’s official rulers, and more freedom for women and
girls. GROUND ZERO explores these contradictions, highlighting how
people are often at their best when the worst happens and how impossible it is to
make the right decision when both outcomes are unacceptable. These are
universal experiences that ignore nationality and religion and culture—challenges
that unite us as human beings—and I believe that fiction helps young people
understand these big, scary topics and empathize with the people enduring
them.”
“The
year 2021 will mark the twenty-year anniversary of 9/11. Will it also mark the
twenty-year anniversary of the war in Afghanistan? Time will tell. One way or
another, we still live in a world reshaped and redefined by what happened in
those 102 frightful minutes on a bright blue September morning in 2001. It’s
more important than ever to help new generations understand how we got from
there to where we are today.”
“With
his signature accessibility and insight, Gratz tackles events on both U.S. soil
and abroad … Subtexts and well-developed secondary characters give readers
fuller perspectives surrounding the political, religious, and sociological
factors that contribute to the horrors Brandon and Reshmina are living through.
The pace is quick (don’t blink or you’ll miss something!), its emotions deeply
authentic, and the highly visual settings resonate with accuracy. With a moving
author’s note, pertinent back matter, and a surprise twist which brings the
book full circle, Gratz delivers another winning read. 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
“Tautly
paced … Conveys immediacy and depth.” – PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
“Gratz’s
deeply moving writing paints vivid images of the loss and fear of those who
lived through the trauma of 9/11.” – KIRKUS REVIEWS
Book Trailer:
REVIEW
The first thing that prompted me to choose this book to review was its subtitle – “A Novel of 9/11”. I was a kid when 9/11 happened. I understood the news but not the gravity of the disaster.
Both protagonists start the day like any other normal day, oblivious to what the future would throw at them. The following events were so harrowing, your blood would turn to ice. The author’s way with words is such, I felt I myself was stuck in the World Trade Center or the Afghan village. He has written a dark but picturesque book. Every scene plays like a film.
Life as we know is like the yin and yang. There is a tinge of darkness in light and light in darkness. I appreciate the fact that the author chose to portray that. In 9/11, 2001 America was the victim. But revenge made her the bully when the country chose to invade Afghanistan.
Often in our zeal to be right, we do wrong by others and often by ourselves. Someone who is powerful by earthly means thinks that he can right all wrong. Mistakes his power to be godly. But in reality he adds to the wrong. Alan Gratz has beautifully presents this human nature in this eye opening book.
My Rating: 4.5/5
About Alan:
ALAN
GRATZ is the New York Times bestselling author of several highly acclaimed
books for young readers, including Allies, Grenade, Projekt
1065, Prisoner B-3087, and Code of Honor. His
novel
Refugee is often referred to as a modern classic, and has remained on
The New York Times bestseller list for over two years. Alan lives in
North Carolina with his wife and daughter. Look for him online at
alangratz.com.
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Goodreads |
Amazon
Giveaway Details:
3 winners will win a finished copy of GROUND ZERO, US Only.
Tour Schedule:
Week
One:
1/14/2021 | Excerpt | |
1/15/2021 | Excerpt | |
1/16/2021 | Excerpt |
Week
Two:
1/17/2021 | Excerpt | |
1/18/2021 | Excerpt | |
1/19/2021 | Excerpt | |
1/20/2021 | Excerpt | |
1/21/2021 | Review | |
1/22/2021 | Review | |
1/23/2021 | Review |
Week
Three:
1/24/2021 | Review | |
1/25/2021 | Excerpt | |
1/26/2021 | Review | |
1/27/2021 | Excerpt | |
1/28/2021 | Review | |
1/29/2021 | Review | |
1/30/2021 | Review |
Week
Four:
1/31/2021 | Review | |
2/1/2021 | Review | |
2/2/2021 | Review |
THE
GROUND ZERO VIRTUAL TOUR WITH NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR ALAN
GRATZ
Register
to attend these free-to-attend virtual events at the websites of each hosting
bookstore
Monday,
February 1, 2021
11:00
am (EST): RJ Julia Independent Booksellers
(Madison, CT)
2:00
pm (EST): Malaprop’s (Asheville, NC)
Tuesday,
February 2, 2021
2:00
pm (EST): Politics & Prose (Washington D.C.)
7:00
pm (EST): Book launch event via Politics &
Prose (Washington D.C.)
In
conversation with Lauren Tarshis (author of I SURVIVED series)
Wednesday:
February 3, 2021
10:00
am (EST): Little Shop of Stories (Decatur, GA)
9:00
am (PST): Children’s Book World (Los Angeles,
CA)
Thursday,
February 4, 2021
10:00
am (EST): An Unlikely Story (Plainville, MA)
5:00
pm (CST): Blue Willow Bookshop (Houston, TX)
Friday,
February 5, 2021
11:00
am (EST): Boogie Down Books (New York, NY)
4:30
pm (EST): Trinity Preparatory Author Festival
(Winter Park, FL)
Monday,
February 8, 2021
10:00
am (CST): Anderson’s (Chicago, IL)
1:00
pm (CST): Left Bank Books (St. Louis, MO)
Tuesday,
February 9, 2021
10:00
am (CST): Square Books (Oxford, MS)
6:00
pm (MST): The King’s English (Salt Lake City,
UT)
Wednesday,
February 10, 2021
9:00
am (MST): Changing Hands Bookstore (Phoenix, AZ)
10:30
am (PST): Green Bean Books (Portland, OR)
Thursday,
February 11, 2021
10:00
am (CST): Watermark Books & Cafe (Wichita,
KS)
5:00
pm (PST): The Elliott Bay Book Company (Seattle,
WA)
Friday,
February 12, 2021
10:00
am (CST): Parnassus Books (Nashville, TN)
2:00
pm (EST): Little City Books (Hoboken, NJ)
March
11-13, 2021
Southern
Young Adult Book Festival (Murfreesboro, TN)
