Smoke at the Pentagon

Smoke at the Pentagon: Poems to Remember

Told in the voices of young people, a novel in verse about the attack on the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.

On September 11, 2001, American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. One hundred and eighty-four innocent people were killed. The event occurred at 9:37 a.m. and was part of a coordinated terrorist attack against the United States involving four hijacked flights.

Author Jacqueline Jules, who was a school librarian in Arlington, Virginia on 9/11, tells the story of that day through a tapestry of poems. These poems tell the stories of young people from all aspects of the Arlington and Pentagon communities and are composites drawn from personal experiences with students and friends residing in Northern Virginia at the time of the attack.

September 11th changed childhoods. Anyone old enough to remember that day will never forget, but today's children need to be told the story.

Teachers Guide for Smoke at the PentagonTeacher's Guide

Reviews

"A powerful, humanistic look at the aftermath of a national tragedy, and an important purchase for modern collections.”―School Library Journal

Blog Interviews

Interview at Writers' Rumpus, August 15, 2023

Guest Post at Poetry for Children, September 1, 2023

Author Guest Post: “Teaching the Next Generation about September 11th”

USA Today Voices | Opinion: "What Happened at the Pentagon?", September 11, 2023

Q&A with Deborah Kalb, September 11, 2023

Interview with Jena Benton, September 11, 2023

Interview at Grog Blog, September 13, 2023

Reading Rockets, September 11, 2023

 


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