Countdown
The story of a formative year in 12-year-old Franny Chapman's life, and the life of a nation facing the threat of nuclear war.Franny Chapman just wants some peace. But that's hard to get when her best friend is feuding with her, her sister has disappeared, and her uncle is fighting an old war in his head. Her saintly younger brother is no help, and the cute boy across the street only complicates things. Worst of all, everyone is walking around just waiting for a bomb to fall. It's 1962, and it seems that the whole country is living in fear. When President Kennedy goes on television to say that Russia is sending nuclear missiles to Cuba, it only gets worse. Franny doesn't know how to deal with what's going on in the world -- no more than she knows how to deal with what's going on with her family and friends. But somehow she's got to make it through. Featuring a captivating story interspersed with footage from 1962, award-winning author Deborah Wiles has created a documentary novel that will put you right alongside Franny as she navigates a dangerous time in both her history and our history.
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Community Reviews
I was honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. Wiles does a fantastic job of integrating real events, quotes, speeches, posters, and interviews into a fictional story. In this book we learn about Franny and her family living in a time when nuclear attacks could be any second. Schools practice atomic bombing drills much like the lockdown drills of today. Infused into her story are actual reports from President John F. Kennedy, the Cuban Missle Crisis, and the conflict with Russia. And how is a 12 year old supposed to process all of this fear and world conflict while still trying to be a child? Throughout the story, we learn so much about Franny and her family, and how each of them is dealing with the constant threat around them. The story is so detailed and explosive that it is hard to believe it is fiction. But the nonfiction intertwined within each chapter makes the story come alive that much more. This is a great way for readers to enjoy not just a cross genre novel but learn important history from the early 1960s in a way that is interesting and captivating. There were many chapters where you will want to keep reading to see how Franny is going to deal with the many obstacles that come her way as well as the obstacles that are threatening the world around her!
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