Eleven

Eleven is one of those books that is a quick read because it holds your attention from the very beginning.Alex Douglas is almost eleven and he knows what he wants for his birthday. After all he has two things he loves. Planes and dogs. He isn’t old enough to fly a plane yet, but his parents have talked to him about being more responsible before they will get him a dog. That is the only thing he wants. The night before his birthday he really blows things. He has argued with his mom and then he tells his dad he hates him. Could things get any worse? When he wakes up the next morning on September 11th he has no idea how bad things can get. He is sure he won’t be getting a dog for his present. On the bus he becomes the target of the school bully. Shortly after school starts he is sent to pick up his sister from school and told to go to his mother’s work. No one will tell him anything. He is told to go home and not to watch the TV.Alex had seen a stray dog on his way to school and then he sees him on his way home with his sister Nunu. He is sure this is meant to be his dog. Then he learns the terrible truth about event of the day. His father drives a PATH train that stops under the Twin Towers. His last words to his dad was “I hate you.” He starts making deals. If he takes the dog back to his rightful owner, then his dad will come home safe. The strange thing is, he meets a man who lives next door to where the dog used to live. He too has been making deals in hopes his son will come home.I made it all the way to the end before I started crying. Mac, the old man and Alex for a bond that was not expected. They have a connection through the love of planes. This is a book that keeps you reading to see who will and who won’t survive. I couldn’t put the book down. The events were well researched and not too heavy for middle school students. I am proud to put this book on my shelves for my students.

My sister enjoyed it Ava even fit her report on it

I wasn't sure how to approach this book at first. As a woman in her late 20s, I knew this was a children's book and thus wondered how well I'd be able to get into it. I need not worry, as there were three separate stories beautifully interwoven between one another. And even though the "main" character of the book was an 11-year-old..I found that I could relate to this part of the story most. I might be in my late 20s now, but when the events of this book occurred I was 12 years old. Unlike Alex I was told about what happened in school and we watched TV right in school, but many of Alex's observations within the book remind me strikingly of my own thoughts and recollections of that day. The Man In The White Shirt was a nice touch, and I loved how it was kept up in the air whether the man was Alex's father or Mac's son until the end. Beautifully written

Easy to read

9/11 is not an easy topic to explain to kids. This book was great at explaining multiple perspectives to a child. It also allowed my kid and I to have conversations about my own experience on that dreadful day and the aftermath. Highly recommend.

Five stars is just not enough for this touching novel. It is about a boy named Alex who is turning eleven on 9/11. It is a beautiful story told through his point of view as Alex struggles to take care of his sister, convince his parents to get him a dog, deals with a bully, and tries not to think about whether his dad may not be coming home. By reading this book I learned about what is was like for an eleven-year old kid on 9/11, and what the power of guilt can do to you. The book is also briefly told from the point of view from The Man In The White Shirt. This man was actually in the building when it got bombed but he escaped in time. You realize how these people had no power over what happened, how heartbroken they were, and how much they want to help. You don't find out The Man In The White Shirt's identity until the end of the book. I won't spoil it, but I have to say it surprised me and I almost started crying. And books never make me cry. So, if you have read this review but you haven't read the book, WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR LIFE!!! You need to read this book, it is amazing. Eleven stars for Eleven, by Tom Rogers.

Highly recommend this book!It’s about 193 pages long and in the words of my son “a lot of chapters”. The chapters were short which was a plus for me as a parent. My son felt like he was making progress in the book. He doesn’t sit still so reading is a challenge.We needed a book for middle school summer reading. I wanted something with historical context and these seemed like a perfect fit.The book arrived on the 10th and he is already halfway done. All in his own too!!I appreciate that the story allows me to engage with my child about such a devastating day. But remembering it through a child’s perspective.Five stars!

This is a touching, engrossing and extremely well-written book that tweens, teens and adults will enjoy. I picked this up when a friend recommended it, and I couldn't put it down. It has well-drawn characters, an emotional story and a great twist that gives it the perfect ending. In addition, this book is an excellent way to bring up the history and signifcance of the tragedy of 9/11. It is never heavy handed, or emotionally manipulative. A beautiful book.

O livro é extremamente bom, história bem contada, fácil de entender, e os personagens são extremamente bem explicados. O drama é bem feito á um nível que você sente que está lá. O único problema é que a apresentação de personagens, apesar de bem feita, é um pouco longa, . A-. Recomendo altamente que leiam

Highly recommend, story told in very simple way but with a big impact

Im Nachwort bedankt sich der Autor ausdrücklich bei seinem Coverdesigner "for capturing a book full of words in a single image". Zu Recht, denn das Cover verspricht, was das Buch hält. Tom Rogers beschreibt die Ereignisse des 11. September 2001 innerhalb eines Mikrokosmos, der seinen Protagonisten Alex und dessen Familie umfasst. Die Terroranschläge dieses Tages spielen sich lange Zeit im Hintergrund ab.Für Alex, der an diesem Tag elf Jahre alt wird, besteht seine kleine übersichtliche Welt aus Kümmernissen, die später am Tag ihre Bedeutung verlieren: schon wieder hat er zum Geburtstag nicht sein sehnlichst gewünschtes Geschenk erhalten - einen Hund. Er sei noch nicht reif genug, um die Verantwortung für ein Tier zu übernehmen, lautet die Begründung. Seine kleine Schwester Nunu nervt, aber er muss auf sie aufpassen, weil beide Eltern arbeiten - seine Mutter als Krankenschwester, sein Vater als Zugführer des PATH, der auch an diesem Tag die Pendler direkt unter das World Trade Center fährt. Ein paar Jungen aus seiner Schule haben es auch an diesem Morgen darauf abgesehen, ihn zu triezen. Und, am schlimmsten: er hatte am Abend zuvor einen Streit mit seinem Vater. "Ich hasse dich" hat er gesagt, Worte, die schwer zurückzunehmen sind, zumal er seinen Dad morgens nicht mehr gesehen hat.Dann werden die Kinder in der Schule plötzlich, ohne Erklärung, bereits am frühen Morgen wieder nach Hause geschickt.Tom Rogers hat sehr geschickt zwei Parallelwelten nebeneinander gestellt,die doch an ein und dem gleichen Ort angesiedelt sind. Einmal erzählt er aus Alex' Perspektive, der lange Zeit überhaupt nichts von den Schrecken, die sich im Hintergrund in Manhattan abspielen, mitbekommt - weder sieht noch hört er etwas davon im Fernsehen, und Jersey Island, wo er wohnt, ist weit weg.So weit weg, dass man sich als Leser manchmal fragt, ob man sich wirklich in New York befindet. Das Wichtigste für Alex ist zunächst, dass er doch noch seinen Hund, einen herrenlosen Streuner, bekommt, der sich an seine Fersen heftet.Zeitgleich rennt eine Person, die nur als "The Man in the White Shirt" bezeichnet wird, vor den Trümmern der einstürzenden Türme um sein Leben. Er repräsentiert das, was sicherlich auch jüngere Leser - für die dieses Buch gedacht ist - als Bilder schon einmal gesehen haben: die vom grauem Staub bedeckten Mneschen, wie Zombies, in einer apokalyptischen Landschaft, die vor kurzem noch der Wirtschaftsdestrikt von Manhattan war. Dieser Mann im weißen Hemd ist entweder der Sohn eines alten Mannes, dem Alex an diesem Tag per Zufall begegnen wird - oder aber Alex' Vater. Die Identität wird erst ganz am Schluss aufgeklärt, was dem Buch auch eine makrabre Art von Spannung verleiht..Dies ist, obwohl so bezeicnet, kein YA-Roman. Die Zielgruppe dürfte so etwa im Alter des Protagonisten liegen, also 9-12 (?). Mit Blick auf diese jungen Leser gelingt es Rogers sehr gut, den Schrecken dieses Tages einzufangen, ohne explizit zu werden, und gleichzeitig Zeichen der Hoffnung und der persönlichen Stärke des Einzelnen zu setzen. Der Schluss ist - aber das sage ich als erwachsener Leser - vielleicht ein bisschen kitschig ausgefallen, auf jeden Fall wiederum sehr mit Fokus auf den Protagonisten, der an diesem Tag am Ende gereift ist. Und sich doch noch seinen Hund verdient hat. Der kam mir in dieser Geschichte etwas zu betont vor, aber wiederum; es ist letztendlich ein Kinderbuch und kein "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close".Gut zu lesen auch in Kombination mit einem anderen Buch über den elften September, das ich unmittelbar davor gelesen hatte und das (Zufall, denke ich) den Titel "Nine, Ten" trägt (Autorin Nora Raleigh Baskin).

I got this for my grandson, but l have read it myself and l absolutely loved it

An interesting narrative which weaves the horrors of 9/11 with the everyday mischief of some children who are oblivious to what is going on in their city at that moment.