When the first plane hits the World Trade Center, 16-year-old Kyle is contemplating zen koans in Mrs. Bright's English class. By the second attack, Kyle is staggering through the smoky streets of Manhattan, where he discovers a lone wing-clad girl near the edge of the Brooklyn Bridge. Together, they flee to Kyle's nearby apartment, only to realize they are hopelessly cut off from the rest of the world. Kyle's father, an officer in the Joint Terrorism Task Force, is stationed at the gruesome Pile, and his mother and sister are stranded indefinitely in California. The girl, on the other hand, is an utter enigma: she can no longer remember her own name. The narrative alternates between Kyle's convincing prose and the girl's more infrequent and at times, cliché lyric interjections. Ultimately, Polisner shines in her subtle portrayals of minor characters Kyle's immobilized uncle Matt and Ugandan refugee classmate Marcus and Kyle's palpable compassion for them. Overall, a touching look at the power of selflessness, memory, and hope in the face of tragedy.--Shemroske, Briana Copyright 2016 Booklist

Its the morning of September 11, 2001, in Manhattan, and the first tower has just fallen. Sixteen-year-old Brooklynite Kyle, fleeing toward home, stumbles upon a teenage girl wearing a pair of costume wings who, it turns out, has severe amnesia. Hes drawn to herShe looks sweet and lost. She looks pretty. And scaredand promptly takes her home with him to try to help figure out who she is. He already has enough to worry abouthis dad is a police officer involved in the rescue effort, his mom and younger sister are supposed to be flying home from L.A., and his uncle, paralyzed in an earlier accident that broke his spine, needs dedicated carenot to mention Kyles anxiety surrounding the unknown (Who attacked the towers? Will there be more attacks?) and the lack of reliable communication during the disaster. The mysterious girls free-verse narration (much of which takes place inside her head) is interspersed with Kyles prose. This is effective at times, but at other times the verse feels flat: I dont have a glass of water. / I listen for the shower, but / its already off, / so / I cant go get one now. While the conclusion is a little too pat and rushed, the blend of mystery, burgeoning romance (between Kyle and the girl), and historical elements has appeal to a wide variety of readers and makes this a solid contribution to the growing body of 9/11 YA fiction. kazia berkley-cramer (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 7 Up--Sixteen-year-old Kyle is close to Ground Zero on 9/11. His NYPD father rushed to the tower as the first plane hit, his mother and little sister are stuck in L.A., and phone service is sporadic. His Uncle Matt waits at the family apartment. While escaping with his classmates from chaos and toxic fumes, Kyle sees a girl wearing bedraggled angel wings, clinging to the side of the Brooklyn Bridge. After rescuing her, he brings her home. Kyle isn't sure whether she remembers anything and worries she'll vanish and harm herself. He must also deal with growing fears that his dad might be another tower victim and that his mom and sister may be stuck in California forever. At first, Kyle is afraid of saying or doing something that might spook the mystery girl, but after she begins talking, a bond forms between them. Nick Mondelli and Jordan Killiam alternate narrating the characters, giving listeners an intense feel for how 9/11 affected those directly impacted and how love can blossom even in times of disaster. VERDICT This is an emotional and satisfying story, one teens will very much enjoy.--John R. Clark, formerly with Hartland P.L., ME

This somber yet hopeful novel from Polisner (The Summer of Letting Go) begins on the morning of September 11, 2001, with her teenage protagonist, Kyle Donahue, fleeing across the Brooklyn Bridge, worrying about his first-responder father, his mother who is flying home from California, and his incapacitated uncle who needs his care. While on the bridge, Kyle runs into a girl covered in ash and wearing angel wings, and takes her home. Referred to as "the girl" throughout most of the novel, due to her amnesia, her presence adds a dimension of mystery to this story. As Polisner delves into one of the most emotionally wrenching days in modern American history, Kyle's narration gives a play-by-play-like overview that's frequently interrupted by short, free-verse passages that reflect the girl's confused mental state. The tentative romantic feelings that develop between Kyle and the girl read more like a detour than an integral aspect of the plot, but they underscore the uncertainty, bewilderment, and grasped-for sense of connection during the immediate aftermath of the attacks. Ages 12-up. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.