Countdown

By Deborah Wiles
(Scholastic Press, Hardcover, 9780545106054, 400pp.)

Publication Date: May 2010

Other Editions of This Title: Paperback

Categories: Historical - United States - 20th Century, Family - General

Selected by Indie Booksellers for the Summer 2010 Kids' Next List

“In this fantastic debut historical novel, 11-year-old Franny is growing up in the early 1960s against a backdrop of the Cuban Missle Crisis. What makes this book unique is the nonfiction component that Wiles integrates into the book. Between each chapter there are pages of real images from the 1960s that serve to help the reader better imagine the era.”

-- Suzanna Hermans, Oblong Books And Music,LLC., Millerton, NY

Description

It's 1962, and it seems everyone is living in fear. Twelve-year-old Franny Chapman lives with her family in Washington, DC, during the days surrounding the Cuban Missile Crisis. Amidst the pervasive threat of nuclear war, Franny must face the tension between herself and her younger brother, figure out where she fits in with her family, and look beyond outward appearances. For Franny, as for all Americans, it's going to be a formative year.

About the Author

Deborah Wiles is the author of the picture book Freedom Summer and three novels: Love, Ruby Lavender; The Aurora County All-Stars; and Each Little Bird That Sings, a National Book Award finalist. She has vivid memories of ducking and covering under her school desk during air raid drills at the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis. She also sang in the Glee Club, was a champion speller, and hated Field Day. Deborah lives in Atlanta, Georgia. You can visit her on the web at www.deborahwiles.com.

This book is on these lists:

Books I've Read by lhdowty
Soren Summer by Sandbloomer
NECBA Spring 2010 Top Ten List by kenny brechner
Summer by alape

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