I Survived the Attacks of September 11th, 2001
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10:03 A.M.: A fourth and final jet, United Airlines Flight 93, crashes into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. It is later learned that Flight 93 was intended for either the United States Capitol building or the White House in Washington, D.C. Passengers on that plane had learned of the crashes at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. They stormed the cockpit and tried to regain control of the plane from the terrorists.
10:28 A.M.: The North Tower of the World Trade Center collapses.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT 9/11
Who committed the attacks?
The man mainly responsible for the attacks was named Osama bin Laden. He was the leader of a terrorist group called Al Qaeda. The group’s headquarters was a rustic hideout in the country of Afghanistan. After a ten-year manhunt, bin Laden was discovered living in Pakistan, a country that borders Afghanistan. On May 2, 2011, Osama bin Laden was killed by SEAL Team 6, a special operations unit of the United States military.
How did the United States government react to the 9/11 attacks?
In the days after the attacks, President George W. Bush demanded that Afghanistan’s government, run by a group called the Taliban, capture bin Laden and hand him over to the United States. The Taliban refused.
On October 7, 2001, the United States, joined by forces from other countries, declared war on Afghanistan. These forces toppled the Taliban government and captured or killed many members of Al Qaeda. Since 2001, more than 100,000 US soldiers have served in the Afghanistan War. As of 2012, there is a more democratic government leading Afghanistan, and our government is slowly withdrawing American troops.
What is at the World Trade Center now?
As of 2012, the World Trade Center was being completely rebuilt. Half of the land is covered by the National September 11 Memorial, which opened in September of 2011. It is a tribute to the nearly 3,000 people killed that day.
Where the Twin Towers once stood are now two enormous reflecting pools surrounded by two of the largest waterfalls in North America. The names of all of the victims are carved into bronze panels circling the Memorial pools. The pools are surrounded by more than 400 oak trees, which will double in size in the next few years.
Underneath the memorial is the National 9/11 Memorial Museum, which is dedicated to exploring both the events of 9/11 and the lasting impact.
There will eventually be four buildings at the World Trade Center, including 1 World Trade Center, a 105-story-high skyscraper. When that building is complete, it will be the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.
George Calder must be the luckiest kid alive. He and his little sister, Phoebe, are sailing with their aunt on the Titanic, the greatest ship ever built. George can’t resist exploring every inch of the incredible boat, even if it keeps getting him into trouble.
Then the impossible happens — the Titanic hits an iceberg and water rushes in. George is stranded, alone and afraid, on the sinking ship. He’s always gotten out of trouble before … but how can he survive this?
Chet Roscow is finally feeling at home in Elm Hills, New Jersey. He has a job with his uncle Jerry at the local diner, three great friends, and the perfect summertime destination: cool, refreshing Matawan Creek.
But Chet’s summer is interrupted by shocking news. A great white shark has been attacking swimmers along the Jersey shore, not far from Elm Hills. Everyone in town is talking about it. So when Chet sees something in the creek, he’s sure it’s his imagination … until he comes face-to-face with a bloodthirsty shark!
Barry’s family tries to evacuate before Hurricane Katrina hits their home in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans. But when Barry’s little sister gets terribly sick, they’re forced to stay home and wait out the storm.
At first, Katrina doesn’t seem to be as severe a storm as forecasters predicted. But overnight the levees break, and Barry’s world is literally torn apart. He’s swept away by the floodwaters, away from his family. Can he survive the storm of the century — alone?
Ever since Danny’s mom moved him to Hawaii, away from the dangerous streets of New York City, Danny has been planning to go back. He’s not afraid of the crime or the dark alleys. And he’s not afraid to stow away on the next ship out of Pearl Harbor.
But that morning, the skies fill with fighter planes. Bombs pound the harbor. Bullets rain down on the beaches. Danny is shocked — and, for the first time, he is truly afraid. He’s a tough city kid. But can Danny survive the day that will live in infamy?
Leo loves being a newsboy in San Francisco — he needs the money but the job also gives him the freedom to explore the amazing, hilly city as it changes and grows with the new century. Horse-drawn carriages share the streets with shiny automobiles, businesses and families move in every day from everywhere, and anything seems possible.
But early one spring morning, everything changes. Leo’s world is shaken — literally — and he finds himself stranded in the middle of San Francisco as it crumbles and burns to the ground. Can Leo survive this devastating disaster?
Lauren Tarshis is the author of I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake, 1906; I Survived the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941; I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005; I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916; and I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912; as well as the critically acclaimed Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree and Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell in Love. She is the editor of Storyworks and Scope magazines and can be found online at www.laurentarshis.com.
The characters and details in this book are based on true stories, but are intended to be fictional composites of actual people and events.
Text copyright © 2012 by Lauren Tarshis
Illustrations copyright © 2012 by Scholastic Inc.
All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc.
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First printing, July 2012
Background image © Stacy Walsh Rosenstock / Alamy
Cover art by Steve Stone
Cover design by Tim Hall
e-ISBN 978-0-545-44299-2
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