Review: Eleven Shows How Quickly Life Can Change

9/11 was one of the most traumatic events in American history. Thousands of lives were lost in the terrorist attacks and sadly many of their bodies were never found. Today I’m reviewing Eleven, by Tom Rogers. This book is a story about that awful day and shows how things can change unexpectedly.

Alex Douglas’ birthday is coming up, and all he wants is a dog. In fact, he’s made multiple “deals with the universe” (he asks the universe if he does one thing, he will get another) in hopes his wish will come true. But when his dad says they may not get one, Alex tells his dad he hates him. Little did he know, as his dad walked off to work at the World Trade Center, his father would be in the center of a terrible event called 9/11.

After his wish for a dog isn’t granted, everything starts changing. He and his classmates are dismissed from school early, but aren’t told why. His mom, a nurse who probably was really busy because of 9/11, tells him to go straight home and to not turn on the TV. But on his way home, Alex finds a stray dog, he takes care to spend as much time with the dog as possible, defying his mother’s orders, because he knows he won’t be able to keep him. But when he learns what happened on this traumatic day, he needs to make another deal with the universe to save his dad.

I LOVED this book. I loved the plot of the story, and the message about being a hero, and how things can change unexpectedly. In fact, the author made a lot of plot twists in the book that made the story really surprising. I also really liked the descriptive way the author wrote, especially when characters were feeling really sad or happy, I felt like I was feeling the exact same way.

This book is good for readers ages 9 and up, or whenever you are ready for your children to understand about 9/11. I read a similar book called Nine, Ten, a story from the eyes of four young teens on the day before the planes crashed. If you have read it, definitely check out Eleven.

I would definitely read this book again! Four out of four roses for sure!