Baskin, N.(2016). Nine, ten: A September 11 story. New York: Atheneum Books.

Nine, Ten combines the story of four kids’ perspective of the days before and on the September 11^th attacks.  The setting opens at the O’Hara Airport in Chicago and the author introduces three of the characters. Sergio is a boy that lives with his Grandma who is returning  to New York from a ceremony recognizing his Math accomplishment and skill. Naheed  is an Muslim girl that wear traditional headdress, she is waiting for her uncle and aunt to arrive. Aimee is about to board a plane to Los Angeles with her dad while her mom is headed to New York with her new job.  The next chapter introduces Will and his family who live in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, Will has lost his Dad.  The book follows the ordinary lives of the 4 kids as they live out September 10^th and 11^th., the kids are only vaguely connected but the author show how those events affect them personally.  Sergio in New York who is befriended by a fireman, Naheed in Chicago that is constantly questioned on her dress and religion, Aimee in Los Angeles whose Mother has a meeting at the Trade Center in New York, Sept. 11^th morning, Will in Shanksville, who is grieving his Dad while trying to help his Mom with his siblings.  The normalness of everyday life along with the inevitable attack leaves the reader wondering how it will affect the kids, hoping they and their families will be okay.

Nora Baskin skillfully tells the stories of children each touched in a different way by the September 11^th attacks. She writes with insight and softness, her characters completely believable to show the typical life in America during those days.  As adults, we have our memories and stories of that morning, what happened to us days prior and afterwards.  We remember the emotion of watching heartache around us and crying while watching the aftermath.  We recall the pain of losing so many people, the firefighters and police and wondering how the families are coping.  Students reading this book will not have experienced 9/11 personally, they view it as history.  All they have known is a post 9/11 world with suspicions being cast on certain groups because of belief and dress.  This book provides a window for students to look through to view the world on a personal scale before and after 9/11, to see through eyes of children rather than news.  It tells the story of life.  The values and issues specifically covered in this book seeing others through their eyes rather than our own, the struggle of being viewed differently, the heroic actions of others, death, divorce and grief are all subjects that this book covers.  These all reflect as mirrors on our contemporary society and give the reader an avenue in which to examine life from other’s perspective.