Alice Walsh

An Afghani girl, an American boy, and the resilient residents of a small town are thrown together on 9/11. Thirteen-year-old Rabia, her mother, and her younger brother have escaped Afghanistan and the brutal rule of the Taliban. On their way to the United States to start a new life, their plane is scheduled to land in New York City on the morning of September 11th, 2001. On the same flight is Colin, returning home after a holiday. While Rabia is full of fear and uncertainty about life in America, Colin is also concerned about the future, as he wonders whether his parents are heading towards a divorce. Neither of them could have predicted what was to come – the terrorist attack on the United States that diverted all incoming planes, forcing their flight to land in the small community of Gander, Newfoundland. While the world struggles to assess what has happened, the residents of Gander provide shelter to the stranded passengers. As Colin and Rabia struggle to cope, they are each taken under the wing of a Gander family. In the middle of tragedy they will both find unexpected kindness, surprising adventure, and the hope that the future can still be bright after all.