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stacyschuttler's review
5.0
Loved it. My daughter read this book in about three days. I decided to read it because she never reads a book this fast. It was wonderfully written. I would recommend it to kids and adults.
angiedkelly's review
4.0
Love the interweaving of actual images from the era (1962 Cuban Missile Crisis) and one 11 year old's adventures and daily life. Very well done historical documentary novel. Recommend for all ages. Even passed it on to my 79 year old mother!
beatniksafari's review
4.0
On the one hand, Countdown is a story of fifth grade angst: Franny's former best friend is now hanging out with a new, hipper girl; her "perfect" brother Drew overshadows her; her college-student sister is distancing herself from the family; her loony uncle is an embarrassment; her teacher skips her to read aloud even though Franny is one of the best readers in the class. Layered on top of this emotional, enjoyable drama are the historical events of the time period. It's the fall of 1962, and US-Soviet relations have never been worse. Franny lives near Washington, DC, possibly in the strike zone of a future missile attack. Wiles includes photos, quotations, lyrics, and short biographies that set the historical context of the time period. I found these diversions illuminating most of the time, but occasionally distracting.
saidtheraina's review
4.0
I REALLY wanted this book to feature a boy protagonist. I was totally bummed when I started it and we met a girl. Not because I'm essentially against girl books (duh), but because the cover's so killer (this particular shade of mustard is very boyish to me), and the innovative approach is so amazing and boy-friendly. I was just bummed when we were dealing with crushes and fear of rope swings instead of rockets and whatever else boys are into. ;)
Also, I found the writing to be fairly distant. I didn't particularly identify with Frances and was DEEP into the book before I started looking forward to reading it.
That said, the format really is astonishingly innovative. We get portions of speeches, slogans, songs, photos from the period, short biographies of important people, more or less alternating with the story. It does give amazing context and I enjoyed it since I have a personal fascination with the 1960s as a historical period.
I'm curious, though, about how a kid would experience it. Would the nonfiction stuff have any connection for them? I'd love to hear if anyone else has talked to a kid who's read this.
Also, I found the writing to be fairly distant. I didn't particularly identify with Frances and was DEEP into the book before I started looking forward to reading it.
That said, the format really is astonishingly innovative. We get portions of speeches, slogans, songs, photos from the period, short biographies of important people, more or less alternating with the story. It does give amazing context and I enjoyed it since I have a personal fascination with the 1960s as a historical period.
I'm curious, though, about how a kid would experience it. Would the nonfiction stuff have any connection for them? I'd love to hear if anyone else has talked to a kid who's read this.
librariandest's review
5.0
Wow, what an experience this "documentary" novel is! The novel is broken up by photos, quotes, and essays from and about the 1960s. I thought it sounded kind of gimmicky, but it really brought the period alive in my imagination as I was reading. Well done, sirs and madams of Scholastic.
I'm giving this a full five stars for the combination of the originality of the design and the solid, compelling storytelling. The story is driven by Frannie's fear of nuclear annihilation combined with everyday growing up stuff. Frannie's older sister seems to have a secret life that Franny decides to investigate a la Nancy Drew. Franny's uncle suffers from PTSD and draws unwanted attention to her family. Franny has trouble with her best friend and crush on a boy at school. All the while the country is collectively holding its breath while JFK contemplates nuclear war.
I actually read another children's book recently that deals with the Cuban Missile Crisis ([b:This Means War|6659577|This Means War!|Ellen Wittlinger|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1275781716s/6659577.jpg|6854331] by Ellen Wittlinger), and this one was much, much better. My only criticism of Countdown is that the mechanics during the climax of the book didn't logically make sense to me. Franny gets caught up in a scary situation, and I didn't really understand how it happened. It didn't take away from the overall quality of the storytelling, though.
I'm giving this a full five stars for the combination of the originality of the design and the solid, compelling storytelling. The story is driven by Frannie's fear of nuclear annihilation combined with everyday growing up stuff. Frannie's older sister seems to have a secret life that Franny decides to investigate a la Nancy Drew. Franny's uncle suffers from PTSD and draws unwanted attention to her family. Franny has trouble with her best friend and crush on a boy at school. All the while the country is collectively holding its breath while JFK contemplates nuclear war.
I actually read another children's book recently that deals with the Cuban Missile Crisis ([b:This Means War|6659577|This Means War!|Ellen Wittlinger|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1275781716s/6659577.jpg|6854331] by Ellen Wittlinger), and this one was much, much better. My only criticism of Countdown is that the mechanics during the climax of the book didn't logically make sense to me. Franny gets caught up in a scary situation, and I didn't really understand how it happened. It didn't take away from the overall quality of the storytelling, though.
19paws's review
5.0
Where is that half-star rating when you need it? I read this book a few weeks ago and was all five-stars about it. And then I read one of the author’s earlier books, [b:Each Little Bird That Sings|428035|Each Little Bird That Sings|Deborah Wiles|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174668442s/428035.jpg|1149154], which touched my heart so deeply that all other books have slid down a notch in my estimation. But just a little notch, and I did love this book. It’s 4 ¾ stars so it’s only fair to round up.
The author notes that this story of the Cuban Missile Crisis began as a picture book. It grew into a novel for young people interspersed with a scrapbook of photos and quotes from the time period, and short history lessons told as biographies. It’s a testament to the editor, I would imagine, that all of these pieces of the book come together in a way that never feels disjointed. The story is good, the history lessons are wonderful, and the photos are pure magic.
I think I’m a few years younger than Deborah Wiles, so many of the things that are vivid memories for her are only vague ones for me. I remember heading down to the basement of our elementary school during air raid drills, but I was fuzzy on the details about why we did that. And I don’t remember ever ducking and covering beneath my classroom desk. I had older brothers, though, so I know every word of every song mentioned in the book. And most of the details of everyday life felt immediately recognizable and very real. I think most people who remember the early ‘60s at all will enjoy this book. And the good news is that it’s the first in a trilogy.
The author notes that this story of the Cuban Missile Crisis began as a picture book. It grew into a novel for young people interspersed with a scrapbook of photos and quotes from the time period, and short history lessons told as biographies. It’s a testament to the editor, I would imagine, that all of these pieces of the book come together in a way that never feels disjointed. The story is good, the history lessons are wonderful, and the photos are pure magic.
I think I’m a few years younger than Deborah Wiles, so many of the things that are vivid memories for her are only vague ones for me. I remember heading down to the basement of our elementary school during air raid drills, but I was fuzzy on the details about why we did that. And I don’t remember ever ducking and covering beneath my classroom desk. I had older brothers, though, so I know every word of every song mentioned in the book. And most of the details of everyday life felt immediately recognizable and very real. I think most people who remember the early ‘60s at all will enjoy this book. And the good news is that it’s the first in a trilogy.
trisha_thomas's review
4.0
“The secret to not being afraid is to understand what scares you”
This was a wonderful surprise of a book. I don't typically like Middle grade - it's just a little younger than I typically like to read - but this one was complete wonderful! I enjoyed this as an audio book - but I honestly think you need to do both audio and have the physical book. There are information tidbits at the beginning of every chapter almost that have information about culture and what was going on at the time of the book. It adds to much depth the story in the audio book because they are almost like commercials - with full voice change (both male and female) and sounds effects if it is talking about war and/or bomb shelters. It added such a depth to the story. BUT the inserts are full color and detail in the book and shouldn't be missed.
I also found it fascinating to see this time and this world through such young eyes. I know little of this time - it's my parents era and not mine (and even then, they were kids) - and it's easy to forget how scary the first bomb raid drill at school must have been. Her love for her grandpa but also her embarrassment and her struggles with her sister and her secrets (and her sister's need for rebellion) and her mother's tears and her father's fears and....all of it. Was so well done and easier to handle through a young girl's eyes. I loved her nightly letter in her mind of what she wanted to say.
But I find this topic and these stories particularly relevant today - as our children in the US are training monthly on full lock down drills for active school shooters and are learning first aid in school to possibly save themselves and others if injured.
This was a wonderful surprise of a book. I don't typically like Middle grade - it's just a little younger than I typically like to read - but this one was complete wonderful! I enjoyed this as an audio book - but I honestly think you need to do both audio and have the physical book. There are information tidbits at the beginning of every chapter almost that have information about culture and what was going on at the time of the book. It adds to much depth the story in the audio book because they are almost like commercials - with full voice change (both male and female) and sounds effects if it is talking about war and/or bomb shelters. It added such a depth to the story. BUT the inserts are full color and detail in the book and shouldn't be missed.
I also found it fascinating to see this time and this world through such young eyes. I know little of this time - it's my parents era and not mine (and even then, they were kids) - and it's easy to forget how scary the first bomb raid drill at school must have been. Her love for her grandpa but also her embarrassment and her struggles with her sister and her secrets (and her sister's need for rebellion) and her mother's tears and her father's fears and....all of it. Was so well done and easier to handle through a young girl's eyes. I loved her nightly letter in her mind of what she wanted to say.
But I find this topic and these stories particularly relevant today - as our children in the US are training monthly on full lock down drills for active school shooters and are learning first aid in school to possibly save themselves and others if injured.
amyhvh's review
4.0
Good book. I enjoyed how historical events were entertwined through a fictional story.
kristinreader111's review against another edition
5.0
I was captivated by this documentary novel, set in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Franny, the 5th grade main character, felt honest and real as she narrated her experiences with air raid drills, an aging loony-at-times uncle, her sister's mysterious absence, and her friendship troubles and new crush. The documentary images, song lyrics, and radio transcripts added to the reality of the novel. Highly recommended.
caitlinalrogers's review
4.0
This is such a great series! My favorite aspect of the Sixties Trilogy are the pages of documentary evidence of events from 1962. What a unique way to write a book.