I read Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes. It is the story of ten-year-old Deja Barnes, who lives in the Avalon Family Shelter in Brooklyn with her parents and two siblings. Deja is just starting 5th grade at a new school where she meets her new friends, Ben and Sabeen. At Brooklyn Collective Elementary, the students learn about  9/11 as it is the 15th anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks. As Deja discovers more about New York’s history and what it means to be part of a community, secrets about her father are revealed. The setting is Brooklyn, New York at the Avalon Family Shelter and Brooklyn Collective Elementary School in 2016.

SPOILER ALERT; DO NOT READ IF YOU DO NOT WANT THE BOOK TO BE SPOILED!

Deja Barnes is mature, proud, and inquisitive. She is mature because she often has to take care of her brother and sister. Deja’s father can’t work, and spends most of his time lying in bed with a headache. Deja is in charge of her siblings when her mother is working to earn money for their family. Deja is proud because she willingly tells her friends and teachers at her new school that she lives in a homeless shelter, without being ashamed. She is inquisitive because she is eager to learn as much as she can about the Towers, even though her father has forbidden her. He and Ben skip school to visit the Tower Memorial.

One of the most interesting parts of the book is when Deja’s father tells her the story about 9/11, when he was working as a security guard in the North Tower. He was able to rescue one older women in the building, but the building collapsed after he took her to the ambulance. Deja’s father has felt guilty since then because he was not able to save his two closest friends from work. Deja starts to respect her dad and begins to see him as a hero. Another interesting part of the book is when Ben shows Deja the video of the twin towers collapsing. I found this part interesting because I realized what it is like to grow up in poverty, without access to the internet or a television.

I enjoyed this book because it teaches about 9/11 in a way that is honest but not scary. I also liked the book because Deja’s friends, especially Ben and Sabeen, as kind and accepting towards Deja. Many books show kids being cruel to each other, but when Deja starts her new school, she is welcomed immediately. I would recommend this book because it teaches about what it is like to be a homeless child in New York City. It is hard to imagine what it is like to not have enough money for a backpack or even school supplies. I also learned about 9/11 and the heros in New York City that day. This book is similar to Nine, Ten because they are both novels about the Twin Towers falling. I would give this book 4 and a half stars.