Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story
Activities
1) Literature Circles
2) Reading logs
3) Character Charts
September 9, 2001
A slow drizzle outside of the Chicago, O' Hare airport.
- Sergio was traveling back to his home in Brooklyn.
- Naheed was waiting for the arrival of her aunt and uncle.
- Aimee was watching her mother board a plan to New York for a business trip.
- Will, his mom and two sisters were making their way home from Florida.
These four don't know one another, but their lives are about to intersect in ways they never could have imagined.
Why?
Naheed
- Relatable characters
- same age as middle school students
- interested and compelling plot lines, with various cliff hangers and unanswered questions
- Different family dynamics, different religions, different social struggles
- Lives in Columbus, Ohio
- Comes from a Muslim family
- Has started in a new middle school where kids from different elementary schools combine
- Was beginning to feel that wearing her hijab made her different
Looking to fit in
We are all Americans
"On the other end, three thousand miles away in New York City, a phone was ringing and ringing but no one was answering" pg. 127
"Gideon was heading right into it. Sergio was running the other way." pg. 151
"Neither one of them heard the discordant sound of a jet engine coming near until it roared right above their heads." pg. 156
"...it all seemed too horrible to be real and too far away to have any significant impact on them personally. Until a brick came sailing through the air a few weeks later..." pg. 179
And soon the issues that seemed to be the biggest issues in the world quickly became insignificant
Aimee
Sergio
- Lives in Brooklyn with his grandmother
- His mother has passed away
- His father was not in his life
- Sergio makes friends with a first responder in Lower Manhattan, the financial district
- Comes from a Jewish family
- Is starting at a new school in a new city a week late because of her cousin's bat mitzvah
- Has moved to Los Angeles because of her mom's new job
- Her mom is on business in New York
Struggling with the absence of a male role model
Concerned about making new friends
It was a perfect day.
The Sky was robin's-egg blue. There were one or two fluffy clouds. Perfect. Until 8:46am.
Will
- Lives in Shanksville, Pennsylvania with his mom and two sisters
- Were given free tickets to Disney World from their community
- Tragically lost his father in a car accident
- Feels the need to step up as the man of the house
Trying to navigate his feelings with a long time friend, Claire
design by Dóri Sirály for Prezi