Escape from the Towers

Children's Literature - Amanda MacGregor

Chronicling the events of September 11, 2001, this nonfiction book in the "Contact" series uses a narrative style mixed with personal stories of two survivors. Abramson begins by explaining that that day was just like any other. Thousands of people were at work in the Twin Towers when terrorists hijacked airplanes and crashed them into the towers. Each new event in the story is marked with a timestamp, so readers know that it was 8:46 a.m. when the first plane hit the North Tower. The stories of Greg Trevor, a man who worked in the North Tower, and Florence Engoran, a woman who worked in the South Tower, are woven throughout the timeline. Here, readers see a firsthand glimpse of what it must have been like trying to flee the crumbling buildings. The book goes on to explain how rescuers quickly responded as the towers collapsed and the search for survivors in the aftermath. Numbers of the dead and missing are included, as is information about a memorial to be built at Ground Zero. The book includes a table of contents, glossary, and index. The format varies and every page has both text and either real photographs or staged "reconstruction" photographs. Links for further online reading are appended. This very informative overview is tastefully handled, despite its emotionally loaded subject matter. The narrative approach as well as real-life accounts will engage readers who may think they already know what they need to know about this historic day. Reviewer: Amanda MacGregor