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Books by Tom Rinaldi

The Red Bandanna (Young Readers Adaptation)

Welles Crowther did not see himself as hero. He was just an ordinary kid who played sports, volunteered at his local fire department, and eventually headed off to college and then Wall Street to start a career. Throughout it all, he always kept a red bandanna in his pocket, a gift from his father.
On September 11, 2001, Welles was working on the 104th floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center when the Twin Towers were attacked. That day, Welles made a fearless choice and in doing so, saved many lives.
The survivors didn't know his name, but one of them remembered a single detail clearly: the man was wearing a red bandanna. Welles Crowther was a hero.
Award-winning ESPN reporter Tom Rinaldi brings Welles's inspirational story of selflessness and compassion to life in this accessible young readers' adaptation of his New York Times bestselling book. This powerful story of making a difference through our actions is perfect for helping the post-9/11 generation understand the meaning of this historic day through the eyes of one young man.

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The Red Bandanna

One Sunday morning before church, when Welles Crowther was a young boy, his father gave him a red handkerchief for his back pocket. Welles kept it with him that day, and just about every day to come; it became a fixture and his signature.

When the Twin Towers fell, Welles's parents had no idea what happened to him. Welles had a Wall Street job on the 104th floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center, but his dream was to become a firefighter with the FDNY. In the unbearable days that followed, his parents came to accept that he would never come home. Eight months after the attacks, however, Welles's mother read a news account from several survivors, who said they and others had been led to safety by a stranger. After leading them down, the young man turned around. "I'm going back up," was all he said. The survivors didn't know his name, but despite the smoke and panic, one of them remembered a single detail clearly: the man was wearing a red bandanna.

Tom Rinaldi's The Red Bandanna is about a fearless choice, about a crucible of terror and the indomitable spirit to answer it.

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