Ground Zero Free Audiobook Download by Alan Gratz

The story begins in the 1920s, when Harlem's Central Park West was a quite and peaceful place. With the onset of the Great Depression though, it became a place where crime and drugs were rampant.

Emergent Behavior is a mysterious creature in the world of science, and while its existence is still up in the air, it has been found to be common among animals. This novel tells the story of an animal's response to emergent behavior. The story starts with a young boy knocking over a sand dune. When he comes back to retrieve his ball, a group of strange creatures that he doesn't recognize have taken residence. As the boy navigates through their world and learns about them, his understanding of them leads him on an adventure through time.

Ariana Delawari and Bernardo De Paula's narration adds another dimension to the book. Their voices are distinct and playful, giving some life to the characters in this dark story.

When Alton Mackey's mother dies, he goes to a memorial service at Ground Zero. She died from cancer and the memorial service is for everyone who has died from cancer. Alton wants to meet his mom again and talks to a woman named Evelyn. Evelyn takes Alton and some of the other kids at the service back home with her where they can talk about their mothers and what it was like meeting them because Evelyn had the same experience with her mother.

This novel starts in the days following 9/11, when 15-year-old Jonah is quickly being pulled away from his family's home by his father to pick up belongings at Ground Zero. It follows different perspectives of people in the first few months after the Twin Towers were brought down and how this event shaped their lives and relationships.

The whole book is narrated by the two boys and it was a little weird for me because I didn't really connect with them as much. I did like the book, however, and ended up really enjoying it when they took each other's perspectives on different chapters. It made it way more interesting and made me want to keep reading!