88 pages • 2 hours read
Ground Zero
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Book Brief
336
Novel • Fiction
New York City • 2000s
2021
Middle grade
10-14 years
Super Short Summary
Ground Zero by Alan Gratz alternates between Brandon, a nine-year-old boy in the World Trade Center during the September 11 attacks, and Reshmina, an 11-year-old girl in Afghanistan in 2019, whose stories unexpectedly intertwine as they each navigate their own life-changing and harrowing experiences amidst violence and chaos. The book contains scenes of terrorism, violence, and war.
Emotional
Suspenseful
Challenging
Mysterious
Reviews & Readership
24,481 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
Review Roundup
Alan Gratz's Ground Zero delivers an engaging, heart-wrenching narrative that intertwines two compelling stories: one from 9/11 and one from modern-day Afghanistan. Most reviewers praise its emotional depth and historical perspectives, though some criticize its complex structure and intense content as potentially overwhelming for younger readers.
Who Should Read Ground Zero?
Readers who enjoy compelling, historically-infused narratives like The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne or Refugee by Alan Gratz himself will find Ground Zero riveting. Ideal for middle-grade to young adult readers, it offers poignant, dual-timeline storytelling about resilience and empathy amid 9/11.
24,481 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
336
Novel • Fiction
New York City • 2000s
2021
Middle grade
10-14 years
Continue your reading experience
Subscribe now to unlock the rest of this Study Guide plus our full library, which features expert-written summaries and analyses of 8,000+ additional titles.