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Countdown

3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 · rating details · 3,617 ratings · 845 reviews

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 see...more

Audio CD, 0 pages

Published January 11th 2011 by Listening Library (Audio) (first published May 1st 2010)

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Oct 17, 2010 Wendy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010-award-possibilities

This is going to be my annual "I don't get it" book, I guess. I'm puzzled by the almost-universal accolades. (Review will be especially long because of Newbery talk.)

The writing itself is good enough, though marred in my opinion by overuse of similes--some of which didn't make much sense. "By the time Saturday rolls around, we're used to living like emergency room patients." I have no idea what that's supposed to mean. "I answer as if the pope himself called me and told me I could go." ??? Frann...more This is going to be my annual "I don't get it" book, I guess. I'm puzzled by the almost-universal accolades. (Review will be especially long because of Newbery talk.)

The writing itself is good enough, though marred in my opinion by overuse of similes--some of which didn't make much sense. "By the time Saturday rolls around, we're used to living like emergency room patients." I have no idea what that's supposed to mean. "I answer as if the pope himself called me and told me I could go." ??? Franny isn't Catholic. It felt mired down in detail, as well; it was like a reference to the time period was shoehorned into every paragraph.

I felt like I've seen every character (especially the groovy older sister) several other places. People are excited about the cigarette-smoking mom--didn't they read The Green Glass Sea? Also, too many secondary characters in general; wait, which one is Denise Dubose and which is Judy James? etc. (I thought it rather odd that the author used the real names of her childhood classmates and made up characters for them. Especially the ones that aren't very nice.)

I think the book is needlessly confusing. While it's pretty obvious to the adult reader what the older sister is getting involved in, I doubt it would be to the child reader. Whether still not having any information about this at the end of the book would bother kids or not, I can't say, but I feel like when I was a kid I'd be all "wait, what about the big secret? what was going on? who is Ebenezer? did I miss a chapter in there?"

Then there's the issue of the documentary material. As others have mentioned, the longer historical/biographical passages really took me out of the story; sometimes they were more interesting than what was going on in the plot. And as others have also mentioned, most of the song lyrics were extracted and placed in such a way that (if one didn't know the song, and/or the significance of the picture on the same page) any meaning was lost. Some of the material I liked: the photographs, mostly, and the quotes from the preparedness film (although that was overdone by at least half) and the quotes from Kennedy's speech. From reading what others say, I gather the purpose is supposed to be that we feel like we're Right There With Franny, immersed in the early sixties. But this didn't work for me: for instance, there are several references to the death of President Kennedy, which doesn't occur within the time frame of the book. Franny is into Kennedy, of course, and she doesn't know he's about to be assassinated, yet the reader does. The adult reader already knows that, of course, and probably most of the child readers do as well. But the within-book consciousness of Kennedy's eventual death destroys the immediacy that might have been provided by the documentary stuff.

Reading this (and it was a struggle to finish; I think it's overlong in general, especially at the climax), a similarity I couldn't identify kept niggling at me. I finally realized toward the end that I was being reminded of books that did something similar but, to my mind, did it better--don't laugh, but it's the American Girl books. (I haven't read one in twenty years or so and was bordering on too old for them when they came out, but still enjoyed them mildly.) These also had (have?) documentary material in them, at the end. I enjoyed poring over these as much as I enjoyed the thin plotlines. But I remember that it was fun having them at the end and finding out the rest of the story of the things mentioned in the text.

This book is fictionalized memoir--I don't know to what extent--and the other book it reminded me of a great deal was Judy Blume's excellent Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself. I'm not a particular Blume fan, but that book works in historical references more naturally and has (to me) a more engaging plot--it feels story- and character-driven, not historical-reference-driven.

Comments on anything anyone disagrees with in my review are, as always, welcomed.

Earlier: I'm impatient with this book, which is feeling like nothing but a baby-boomer nostalgia piece. I doubt I'd continue if it weren't being Newberyed-about.(less)

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Jul 18, 2011 Megan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: intermediate-historical-fiction-nov

Actually, I'm listening to it and I'm thinking that's the way to go with this book. It has so many cool sound-bites that make it seem so real!

This just might be my all-time-favorite audio book! It was wonderful! Frannie is a 5th grade girl living in the midst of the Cuban Missile Crisis in a suburb of D.C. While the book certainly is a kid-friendly history lesson on the early 1960s, it also has a story line dealing with friendships and relationships, both within families and with close friends....more

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Apr 15, 2010 Betsy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I held this book up to the noses of the children’s bookgroup I run. “Does anyone know what the Cuban Missile Crisis was?” I asked. My point blank question was met with pointedly blank stares. I tried a little word association on them. “Duck and cover? Bunkers? Castro? Bay of Pigs?” Nope. It’s funny, but when you think of what parts of American history sort of get bypassed in school, the Cuban Missile Crisis is definitely one of them. To be fair, children’s literature has kind of let them down. T...more

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Jun 15, 2010 Alison rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

To win a copy of this book go to Alison's Book Marks Contest Ends 6/16/2010

REVIEW:
A gripping Middle Grade novel which might also be educational - shh!

The first of Deborah Wiles's Sixties Trilogy, Countdown takes a fresh look at a coming-of-age story in the 1960s. Franny Chapman is a typical 12 year old girl, who reads Nancy Drew, has fights with her best friend, worries about how her hair looks, and has a crush on the boy down the street. We've all been there, and hundreds of books have been th...more

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Mar 20, 2013 Andrew Z rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: history

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Countdown
by Deborah Wiles
400 pages
Historical Fiction

Countdown is a story about a girl named Frannie who lives in the United States during the Cuban Missile Crisis(1960s). Tension is at an all time high during the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States and both sides are threatening nuclear attack. Meanwhile, at Camp Springs, Frannie is waging a war of her own. Her former "friend" Margie has gotten into an arguement over an envelope that they found in Jo Ellen's(Frannie's sister)...more Countdown
by Deborah Wiles
400 pages
Historical Fiction

Countdown is a story about a girl named Frannie who lives in the United States during the Cuban Missile Crisis(1960s). Tension is at an all time high during the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States and both sides are threatening nuclear attack. Meanwhile, at Camp Springs, Frannie is waging a war of her own. Her former "friend" Margie has gotten into an arguement over an envelope that they found in Jo Ellen's(Frannie's sister) room. Days before, Jo Ellen had gone missing and Frannie and her parents were very worried. So when Margie came over, Frannie and her friend went to her sister's room to look for clues. They found a crinkled envelope. Now, Margie is refusing to return the clue. Margie abandons her old friend for Gale, a supposed rich girl that lives in a mansion. And all the worse, Frannie's uncle(reffered to as Uncle Otts) is going crazy, reliving memories from the War, and shouting about nuclear fallout. And, the former neighbor of Frannie, Chris Cavas, comes back from Pakistan, just making things even more complicated. At school things get worse in between Margie and Frannie. Frannie asks for Margie to return the envelope to her but Margie refuses. They get into a heated arguement in the hallway and eventually the teachers take them to the office where Gale claims that it was Frannie who first started it. Later, Gale tells Frannie she feels bad about blaming her and decides to invite Frannie to go to her Halloween Party. Frannie is overjoyed. Finally, things seem to get better. Jo Ellen also comes home; she was just "on a sleepover with her college friends". Finally the day comes. Frannie prepares for the party by dressing up as a gypsie, using some scarves that Jo Ellen gave her. Frannie arrives at the party shocked by two things: first of all, Gale wasn't even rich, her home is just an ordinary house, and two both Chris and Margie are there. Both Margie and Frannie like Chris, so Margie tries to embarrass Frannie by saying that her sister is a Communist and that it said so in the envelope. Frannie denies it and Margie runs into the forest toward the Gravel Pit. Frannie and Chris run after her. Frannie finds Margie hidden in the forest near the pit. Margie then tries to escape but slips into the pit, which is filled with sand and gravel. Margiestarts shouting for help and Frannie knows what she must do. Instinctively she starts fashioning a rope out of the scarves in her costume to try to pull Margie out, however for a second, she hesitates. Then she realizes that even though they may be enemies she still needs to help save her. She tries to pull Margie out but she herself also slips, saving Margie but hurting herself. Meanwhile, Chris comes with other people to help. But it is already to late. Frannie is beggining to fall unconsious. Then finally she closes her eyes. When she wakes up, she finds herself in the hospital. Her whole family is standing around her bed and her arm is in a sling. Apparently she broke some bones while falling. Uncle Otts says that what Frannie did was very heroic and pins one of his war medals to her jacket. In the end Frannie and Margie make up.

In the beggining the book was pretty good and there were several good plot lines that the author could have chosed to use. For example, she could have talked about what the envelope was about or if Jo Ellen was actually a communist. My prediction was that Jo Ellen was probably working with some underground activist organization. However the author never used any of those plot lines, so it left me in the end like "what?".(less)

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Mar 03, 2013 Bindei rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wow. This book is so good I don't know where to begin. I'm no usually a fan of historical fiction, but this was really just GOOD. That the word: good. Franny is a genuinely loveable character, but her family is too. I wasn't a huge fan of her teenage sister, but she was a very good person and that was really just me. I loved Margie (Franny's best friend/enemy), I loved Gale (she wasn't too main but I thought she was really sweet), and I ADORED Chris. I loved how he was in awe of her, yet he was...more

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Jan 12, 2013 Julia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

COUNTDOWN By Deborah Wiles
Julia Peck
Franny Chapman is a quiet, subdued, fifth grader growing up in the early 1960's during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Her only wish right now is harmony. However, it's hard to keep harmony when you're living with parents who don't discern your worries, an unruly best friend, a moonstruck uncle, and a teacher who seems to never see you. Franny feels like a doormat to the rest of the world, even the cute boy down the street doesn't seem to pat attention to her. What...more

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Dec 04, 2012 Ed rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wiles, Deborah. (2010). Countdown. New York: Scholastic Press. 394 pp. ISBN 978-0-545-10605-4 (Hard Cover); $17.99.

Fanny Chapman is invisible. Her teachers look right past her. Her best friend is prettier and her uncle is acting strange, but does anything really matter if nuclear bombs fall?

Wiles has created a book that I have not read before. I can promise readers that this book breaks new ground. I read both the manuscript of this book and the finished copy (and if I have one small complaint i...more Wiles, Deborah. (2010). Countdown. New York: Scholastic Press. 394 pp. ISBN 978-0-545-10605-4 (Hard Cover); $17.99.

Fanny Chapman is invisible. Her teachers look right past her. Her best friend is prettier and her uncle is acting strange, but does anything really matter if nuclear bombs fall?

Wiles has created a book that I have not read before. I can promise readers that this book breaks new ground. I read both the manuscript of this book and the finished copy (and if I have one small complaint it is that I wish Scholastic had printed this book in a slightly larger size). On the manuscript cover we see that Scholastic has classified this book as 'Historical Fiction.' However, this book is more than that, although I am not quite sure what to call it--Historical Collage Fiction? My friend, Walter Mayes (AKA Walter the Giant Storyteller) mentioned that Wiles breaks the same kind of ground with Countdown that Brian Selznick accomplished with The Invention of Hugo Cabret. This is more true than not.

The basic annotation of the book is that 11-year-old Franny is trying to survive the inevitable nuclear disaster that is heading toward her home near Andrews Air Force Base. We are in the midst of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The U.S. has just discovered bombs on Cuba pointing toward our country. Franny is practicing (and getting bloodied) during duck and cover drills. Meanwhile she is trying to convince her teacher that she exists (despite being invisible). She is trying to convince her family that she is more than a Cinderella servant. Her mother only seems to assign chores and, worse yet, blame. Her older sister treats her like a squirt and will not share the life-changing world she is entering in college. Her Uncle Otts is becoming crazier each day and embarrassing Franny, even while she tries to hold onto the vision of her Uncle as a WWI war hero. And now Franny is fighting with her best friend Margie over friends and boys and stolen letters. Catastrophe is in the air and duck and cover drills are not making Franny feel the least bit safer. Just what is her sister hiding from her under lock and key? Will Franny ever grow up? What is wrong with Uncle Otts? Will a nice boy like Chris Cavas ever choose a plain looking girl like her when her best friend Margie is prettier, more self-assured, and unburdened by a crazy family member?

The notable feature of COUNTDOWN is its inserted pictures of JFK; Khrushchev; Pete Seeger; Sandy Kofax; Peter, Paul, and Mary; Bob Dylan, images of the Civil Rights Movement, Cuba, Nancy Drew, and more. While many of the images have no direct bearing on the plot, they provide the emotional backdrop of the novel and place the story firmly in its historical period. In addition to providing thousands of teachers with a book that will become classroom reading, Wiles asks students to think about their own history in terms of music, media, literature, and popular culture. These added images and the inserted mini biographies of Trueman, Seeger, and JFK provide snapshots of what students like Franny would be experiencing on a daily basis during the Cuban Missile time frame. They give this book a soul that most historical fiction does not possess. They also, I believe, take that step of making historical fiction intersect with today's student and make the time period seem important in today's world. Historical fiction is not among the more popular reading material for teens and I think Wiles has figured out a way to change that perception! Well done!

The degree of difficulty in this book is what takes COUNTDOWN and elevates it to a new level. Wiles has created a new way of experiencing history in the pages of a novel. Her achievement makes this book a must buy for school libraries all across the country regardless of age. This is also a book that will resonate with folks like me who can still remember the duck and cover drills (which provided a moment of welcome respite from the drudgery of the school day). I am hoping that the Newbery committee finds a way to recognize the very unique and significant contribution Wiles has made with this book, despite literal rules that have some dissecting this book into separate parts not nearly so compelling as its magnificent total package. While this book fits in elementary school libraries, it is best suited to middle school libraries. I can even see high school teachers studying the form and style of this book and using it effectively with high school students studying either history or language arts.
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Oct 21, 2012 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, middle-grade, historical-fiction

This particular book just didn't resonate with me. Deborah Wiles does a wonderful job capturing one family and community's reaction to the October 1962 Cuban missile crisis. What's particularly effective is that she captures it in a way that is realistic for a 5th grade living during that time -- she doesn't get bogged down with all the details but rather presents the fear and anxiety through the reactions of adults, air raid drills, and watching President Kennedy's speech on television.

I felt...more

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Aug 27, 2012 Patricia Hruby Powell rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Franny, eleven, is enduring, not fire drills, but duck-and-cover drills at school, in the event of an atomic bomb attack. I remember no such drills from my childhood, but Franny lives outside Andrews Air Force Base, Washington DC, which would be a prime target and we’re in the midst of the Cuban Missile Crisis, October 1962, when the U.S.S.R. is threatening to strike the U.S.A.
The novel “Countdown” by Deborah Wiles (Scholastic 2010) begins with “documentary footage” of 1962 America. Handsome cha...more Franny, eleven, is enduring, not fire drills, but duck-and-cover drills at school, in the event of an atomic bomb attack. I remember no such drills from my childhood, but Franny lives outside Andrews Air Force Base, Washington DC, which would be a prime target and we’re in the midst of the Cuban Missile Crisis, October 1962, when the U.S.S.R. is threatening to strike the U.S.A.
The novel “Countdown” by Deborah Wiles (Scholastic 2010) begins with “documentary footage” of 1962 America. Handsome charismatic John F. Kennedy is quoted as saying, “We have enough missiles to blow you up thirty times over.” Nikita Khrushchev, Head of the U.S.S.R., on the facing page says, “We have enough to blow you up only once, but that will be enough for us.” The world is in the midst of cold war. Who remembers Khrushchev with a witty comeback?
Franny’s big sister is attending college in DC and involved in mysterious endeavors to “change the world.” What she’s actually doing remains mysterious. Interspersed throughout the book are more “documentary” pages that give the reader the context of the times. And so much was happening. The Civil Rights Movement was in full swing, for instance.
Franny’s little brother Drew is a “saintly” child, but Franny manages to get him to tell a lie, to the extreme grief of her strict, cigarette-smoking, smart mother. I’m delighted to find a formidable mother in a middle grade novel. Franny’s father is a major in the Air Force with the task to “keep America safe.”
Crazy Uncle Otts tries to build a fallout shelter in the front yard. The nation is frozen in the grips of fear while Fanny’s fears are those of a fifth grader—her best friend has chosen another, her adored sister is absent, an odd embarrassing uncle, plus the realization of her world in great change.
The documentary pages include advertisements for fallout shelters, lyrics to songs, young Bob Dylan, TV celebrities, the glorious first lady Jackie Kennedy, maps, political cartoons headlines, Havana. This is a very cool format that both kids and adults will appreciate. It gives the context of the times, deepening our understanding of the story. We’re getting the top internet hits delivered just as we need them.
This semi-autobiographical documentary novel is the first in Wiles’ trilogy of the 60’s.

Patricia Hruby Powell (www.talesforallages.com) is a nationally touring speaker, dancer, storyteller, librarian and children’s book author. You can enter a discussion or see the book covers on her blog at www.talesforallages.com/reviews/
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Aug 26, 2012 J rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, middle-school-fiction

Great historical fiction about 1960's suburban America and the terror of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Author Wiles interjects historical notes to keep the reader informed of important history and includes lots of pictures and cultural history from the time period. Middle child Franny Chapman yearns to be as grown up and beautiful as her college-age sister and as perfect as her little brother. But she'll have to settle for being a slightly awkward 5th grader who has a crush on the boy next door, is...more

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May 27, 2012 Kimberly Erskine rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Deborah Wiles’s Countdown is a very unique middle grade novel. I really loved the book’s overall format and can definitely see myself applying many of different forms to my own writing. It reads like a multi-genre book. It has very short chapters like Sarah Plain and Tall and Holes did, but it also has more than just text and chapters. There are many large photographs, advertisements, and quotes of various sizes featured throughout the book. In fact, the first fifteen pages of this book are noth...more Deborah Wiles’s Countdown is a very unique middle grade novel. I really loved the book’s overall format and can definitely see myself applying many of different forms to my own writing. It reads like a multi-genre book. It has very short chapters like Sarah Plain and Tall and Holes did, but it also has more than just text and chapters. There are many large photographs, advertisements, and quotes of various sizes featured throughout the book. In fact, the first fifteen pages of this book are nothing but pictures, quotes, and advertisements. The text also features rhythmic language and the use of verse as Sarah Plain and Tall and Holes did. The first instance of this can be seen in the political advertisement for the Cold War which states:

There was a turtle by the name of Bert,

and Bert the Turtle was very alert.

When danger threatened him he

never got hurt,

he knew just what to do.

He’d duck and cover, duck and cover.

He did what we all must learn to do,

you and you and you and you:

Duck and cover! (Wiles 9).

Variations of this verse are repeated throughout the book. This allows readers to identify the passage as being important. In addition, through this verse, readers can sense the danger that was constantly present during this time period as people anticipated getting hit by nuclear warfare.

Similar to Sarah Plain and Tall, Countdown offers a history lesson about a former time period in a way that is fun and easy for children to relate to. The multi-genre format helps to play into this theme. Much of the story is told through a child narrator, Franny Chapman in a diary-like format. Even though most young readers may not be able to relate to the fear that Franny feels about the Cold War, they will be able to relate to her childhood experiences that she chronicles throughout the novel such as feel left out when her teacher doesn’t remember her (Wiles 16-18) when her best friend, Margie, ditches her for Gale (Wiles 111), and her crush on her neighbor, Chris (Wiles 112). This taught me that it’s okay to have a character in a story experiencing a problem that other children may not be able to relate to as long as you still include other, smaller problems that all children will experience at one point or another. When Franny is not narrating the story, the tone shifts to a more formal, academic tone and historical facts about this time period are dispensed. However, the author was careful not to use too complex language. Even though the tone is noticeably different, it is still very easy to read and follow and there are never more than a few pages of historical facts given at one time, so it does not overwhelm. I learned that it’s okay to write about tragedy in a middle grade novel for young readers as long as you also highlight positive things, too. Countdown is mainly about the Cold War and the Cuban Missile crisis. There were multiple wars going on during the 1960’s and many American soldiers were being killed every day. America was seriously threatened, as can be seen by the way Franny has to constantly stay alert and practice “duck and cover” drills at school (Wiles 24). However, the book also chronicles positive events from the 1960’s which readers will find fun, exciting, and fascinating. These events include Neil Armstrong landing on the moon (Wiles 11), sports (Wiles 12, 103), books (Wiles 79), music (Wiles 111, 312), and various other pop culture events. Also, another important element in writing middle grade books dealing with tragedy is to end on a relatively positive note. Countdown ends when the Cuban missile crisis is over and Franny and her family come out of it alive and well (Wiles 377). Despite all of the surrounding fear and anxiety, Franny kept her cool and survived during a time period where safety and security was not promised. In ending the novel, Franny became a hero for all children looking for a brave role model, and she teaches children that it’s okay to be scared in life, but always remain calm, and confident and tell yourself that you’ll pull through and everything will work out okay in the end. This concluding message is very subtle and does not come off as being preachy, but the message is powerful nonetheless.(less)

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Mar 06, 2012 IndyPL Kids Book Blog rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

In 1962 something happened in the world that was pretty scary, something we now call The Cuban Missile Crisis. The crisis happened when the Soviet Union (USSR) started to secretly build missile launching sites in Cuba. US spy planes found out about this. President Kennedy went on television and announced a naval blockade around Cuba to keep the missiles from getting delivered to the sites in Cuba. He also said that if the USSR launched one of the missiles, the US would fire back, “if you bomb us...more In 1962 something happened in the world that was pretty scary, something we now call The Cuban Missile Crisis. The crisis happened when the Soviet Union (USSR) started to secretly build missile launching sites in Cuba. US spy planes found out about this. President Kennedy went on television and announced a naval blockade around Cuba to keep the missiles from getting delivered to the sites in Cuba. He also said that if the USSR launched one of the missiles, the US would fire back, “if you bomb us, we’ll bomb you.” The problem was that the missiles were nuclear missiles…so if anybody bombed anybody, lots and lots of people would die. Luckily, the ships carrying the missiles turned around before they got to Cuba and neither side launched any missiles.

For about two weeks, though, nobody really knew how the standoff would turn out. People, even the grown-ups, were pretty scared. Countdown is the story of 11 year-old Franny and what it was like for her to live through this time, because even without the threat of missiles, a kid’s life can be tough sometimes. Franny feels ignored and left out — her teacher keeps skipping her (even though she’s a good reader), her best friends doesn’t seem to want to hang out with her anymore, her sister is being secretive and distant, her mom is short-tempered and her dad is gone - flying an airplane for the President, which is his job. Add on top of that Franny’s Uncle wants to build a bomb shelter in her backyard and she has to do drills at school so that she knows what to do if a missile is coming - Franny is about over the edge!

I loved Franny and watching her figure out how to get past the troubles in her life. ..how to understand that her teacher might not be ignoring her on purpose, how to understand that her best friend might have other things to think about besides her & how to understand that her mom is a person too that has feelings, even fear, that makes her act weird sometimes! Franny finds out that any crisis, not just the missile crisis, can turn out in surprising ways that might not be all that bad. Author: Deborah Wiles

For More: http://www.imcpl.org/kids/blog/?p=7495 (less)

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Mar 02, 2012 Tina Hoggatt rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Deborah Wiles spoke at last year's SCBWI Western Washington conference and given her lovely presentation and the fact that I, too grew up in this era, for the life of me I can't say why I waited so long to read this book. I listened to it as an audio book, so the illustrations, photographs and narrative asides made for a slightly cluttered listen, but Emma Galvin did a lovely job of narration.

This story of 12 year old Franny Chapman and her family, her father a pilot on Air Force One during the...more

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Feb 13, 2012 Barb Middleton rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical

Franny is stuck in the middle like the filling of an oreo cookie. Her older sister is gorgeous. Her younger brother is extremely kind. Franny’s dubbed him, The Saint. Franny feels invisible. In school. At home. And lately, with her best friend, Margie.

Set in the 1960s during the Cuban Missile crisis, this story is revolves around Franny. At school they are practicing bomb drills while at home Uncle Otts wants to build a bomb shelter. Her big sister, JoEllen, is going to college and is getting se...more

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Oct 19, 2011 Mary marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: crone-books-8th-fiction

School Library Journal (July 1, 2010)
Gr 5-8-Franny lives with her family in suburban Maryland just outside Andrews Air Force Base, circa summer of 1962. Kennedy and Khrushchev's duel on the world stage plays in the background while the fifth grader worries about her best friend's betrayal; adores her college-age sister, Jo Ellen; and fights Twith her saintly little brother, Drew. When not navigating the ups and downs of early adolescence, she writes letters to Khrushchev, prepares for air-raid d...more

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Sep 07, 2011 Carol Satta rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It’s 1962, and 5th-grader Franny Chapman lives in fear of an atomic attack by the Russians on her Washington, D.C.-area neighborhood.

Air-raid drills at school, her Air Force father on high alert, President Kennedy delivering somber speeches on TV, and her Uncle Otts building a bomb shelter in their yard–all these things add to her worries.

Then there’s the preteen angst of fighting with her best friend and crushing on the cute boy down the road.

This substantial documentary novel (377 p.) began as...more

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Aug 25, 2011 Pamela Voyles rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sometimes a family member can really be embarrassing and Franny Chapman has an uncle that embarrasses her in Countdown (Scholastic 2010) by Deborah Wiles. The funny thing is the person who embarrasses you might be the one that helps you in a time of need. This is exactly what happened to Franny who is a twelve-year-old girl in 1962. She finds her life changing all around her. She has a father that is in the military and has to leave for extended periods of time. Her mother tries to keep it all...more

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Apr 25, 2011 Katie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recap:
The year is 1962 and Franny is having a difficult time deciding which she should be more worried about: her Uncle Otts' steady mental decline, her former-best-friend Margie who may be trying to steal Chris Cavas from her, or the ever present threat of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Life is hard when you're 11.

Review:
Told in equal parts through Franny's narrative; excerpts of songs, speeches, and commercials from the early 1960s; and dozens of striking full-page images, Countdown is a text unlik...more Recap:
The year is 1962 and Franny is having a difficult time deciding which she should be more worried about: her Uncle Otts' steady mental decline, her former-best-friend Margie who may be trying to steal Chris Cavas from her, or the ever present threat of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Life is hard when you're 11.

Review:
Told in equal parts through Franny's narrative; excerpts of songs, speeches, and commercials from the early 1960s; and dozens of striking full-page images, Countdown is a text unlike any other I've encountered!

Regardless of how well a story is told, I know that historical fiction can be a difficult genre for children and young adults to truly latch on to. Yet after flipping through just a few pages of Countdown, I dare any young reader to not be fully immersed in the drama of 1962! Of course the many, many pages of non-fiction text and images focused on the Cuban Missile Crisis, but there were also dozens of pages featuring athletes, pop culture icons, and famous faces from the civil rights movement of the 60s. This book could be an invaluable tool in a Social Studies classroom!

Although I'd heard positive things about Countdown in the past, I had resisted actually picking it up. The cover just didn't (and still doesn't) do anything for me, and I rarely read historical fiction unless it fits into my district's middle school curriculum. But then I read this review by Laura Amy Schlitz on SLJ's Battle of the Kids Books. As I read her review I couldn't help but think, "YES! This is what book reviewers are supposed to do!" In a few short paragraphs, Ms. Schlitz had me absolutely, 100% convinced that Countdown had to be one of my next reads.

And I was not disappointed.

Eleven-year-old Franny starts out as a wholly typical, often annoying, little girl. Her father is in the military, her older sister Jo Ellen is everything that Franny wants to become (even if she might actually be a Russian spy), and her little brother - the next John Glenn - carries "Your Friend, the Atom" as his constant companion. Franny's Uncle Otts, a war hero, is trying to build a bunker in their front yard, and her mother is just trying to hold it together.

As the story progresses, the reader finds herself completely immersed in what life was like in the 1960s. Although I was not immediately a fan of Franny's, her character grew on me and by the end of the book I was literally cheering her on in the gravel pit. (You'll know what I mean when you get there!)

If you're looking for a phenomenal YA read that is a far cry from the ordinary, do yourself a big favor and pick up Deborah Wiles' Countdown. You will be so happy you did.(less)

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Apr 01, 2011 Marybeth Taylor rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Troubles come in all different shapes and sizes - this is something Franny Chapman knows for sure. After all, two things of equal pressure are making conversation with the suddenly cute boy down the street, and facing the world as it falls down before her eyes.

It's 1962, and Franny is not the only one facing troubles. In fact, the whole world is. The story takes place as the USA lives in fear of Cuba dropping a nuke on them. And on top of everything else, her family is falling apart. Franny's u...more

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Mar 20, 2011 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was fortunate to download the audiobook, which has been nicely produced with the documentary clippings performed by actors doing JFK's and Khruschev's speeches, the "Duck and Cover" narrator, Jackie's White House tour, and much more. I hope it will be considered for any pertinent YA audio awards. Apparently they couldn't get or didn't want to pay the royalties to feature the songs mentioned in the book, so there's just the narrator saying the words to "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot B...more

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Mar 20, 2011 Mallory rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: children who like fiction or nonfiction, but not both; flower children

Recommended to Mallory by: scholastic as part of a reviewers' giveaway

I was surprised when I received this novel as part of a GoodReads giveaway for pre-release reviews from Scholastic, because I had not realized from the description that this would be a children's/YA novel. And, while it may not be as fantastical as the The Hunger Games trilogy, it is equally as stirring and important. Hopefully, it will be equally recognized.

Franny's entire life is changing. She is 11 years old and in the fifth grade, poised on the brink of childhood and young adulthood. Her onc...more I was surprised when I received this novel as part of a GoodReads giveaway for pre-release reviews from Scholastic, because I had not realized from the description that this would be a children's/YA novel. And, while it may not be as fantastical as the The Hunger Games trilogy, it is equally as stirring and important. Hopefully, it will be equally recognized.

Franny's entire life is changing. She is 11 years old and in the fifth grade, poised on the brink of childhood and young adulthood. Her once-upon-a-time best friend now hates her, and she may be developing her first crush. Her teacher keeps passing her over during school. And if this weren't stressful enough, this novel takes place during the peak of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Her sister has new friends at college and is keeping secrets, and her Uncle Otts, a former soldier, is trying to build a bunker in the backyard. Duck-and-Cover drills, assemblies about nuclear preparedness at school and harrowing Presidential speeches fill her days. And, to top it all off, a boy/girl Halloween party approaches - and Franny's not even sure if she's invited.

Countdown is one of those rare historical fiction novels that weaves narrative and history together seamlessly. The publishers advertise the text as a "documentary," inter-spliced with photographs, documents, song lyrics and quotations from the time of the setting. However, Franny's personal problems are not neglected simply for the sake of introducing the reader to the Cuban Missile Crisis. This novel reminded me of an episode of the Wonder Years, seamlessly floating back and forth between issues both local and global, painting a real picture of what it must have been to be a child during this troubling time in our history.

While quieter and subtler than some other YA novels that encourage children to think about the world, issues of war and global citizenship, Countdown explores such themes with nuance and caution. Nothing is black and white, and Franny's confusion allows the reader to think things through with the character. This is truly a remarkable book. I look forward to the publication of the rest of this trilogy, and will encourage my students to keep their eyes open for it, as well.

(less)

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Mar 07, 2011 Maricor rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-realism-historical-f

Countdown by Deborah Wiles (2010)
Historical Fiction, 377 pages
Wrapped up in atomic war threats during the Cuban Missile Crisis, eleven year-old Franny is trying to get through the fifth grade and live a normal life. However, life is anything but normal when her uncle, dealing with posttraumatic stress disorder from WWII, is having flashbacks, her sister is disappearing for long periods of time and receiving secret letters in code, her annoying brother Drew is perfect and loved by all, and her be...more

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Mar 01, 2011 Kelly rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Countdown Scholastic Press, 2010, 377 pp $17.99
Deborah Wiles ISBN978-0-545-10605-4

It's 1962 and Franny is living in a country on its toes. Kennedy has just announced that the Soviet Union has sent nuclear missiles to Cuba, which might be able to reach as far as Washington D.C.. 5th grader Franny's world is falling apart. Her sister is no where to be found, her uncle is reliving an old war- on their front lawn. Her mother is annoying, her brother is the star child, a cute boy isn't helping, and...more Countdown Scholastic Press, 2010, 377 pp $17.99
Deborah Wiles ISBN978-0-545-10605-4

It's 1962 and Franny is living in a country on its toes. Kennedy has just announced that the Soviet Union has sent nuclear missiles to Cuba, which might be able to reach as far as Washington D.C.. 5th grader Franny's world is falling apart. Her sister is no where to be found, her uncle is reliving an old war- on their front lawn. Her mother is annoying, her brother is the star child, a cute boy isn't helping, and everyone is terrified of a bomb killing them all. All she keeps hearing from everyone is, “That means duck and cover fast wherever you are. There's no time to look around and wait! If there's a flash, duck and cover! And do it fast.”
Countdown, reminds me of what it was like to be a 10-year-old, but with a twist of time. Don't be turned off by the young protagonist because this is not just a novel, but a documentary of the early 1960's as well. This puts you into their world. In between the chapters, there are stories, pictures, newspaper articles, or songs from the time period. This was probably my favorite part of Countdown. It also makes the book entertaining for an older reader. There were several scenes where I could remember doing something just like what Franny was doing. I was cast back into my 5th grade year, trying to be cool, getting the cute boys (even though I was way too young) and dealing with family. The character growth was just like real life, which I thought was interesting, because most of the time authors tend to cram a lot of growth into a short book. Wiles makes it natural.
Overall I enjoyed Countdown. I would recommend it to anyone 11 or 12 year's old or older. As an older reader I loved it because it reminded me of being young, but a younger reader might adore it because they can relate to it. Even though the main character is a girl, I think boys would like it as well. Another reason I fancied it was because I have never read a book written in this time period. I have never heard of another book about the Cuban missile crisis. I think that I might have appreciated this book because it mentions the problems in the world. The world will never be perfect, we will always have issues, but we need to learn from our past to move forward, and stop history from repeating itself.(less)

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Jan 28, 2011 Josephine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kidlit

A very ambitious "documentary novel" about a young girl dealing with the stress of growing apart from her best friend with the Cuban Missile Crisis looming in the background. The novel is interspersed with all kinds of interesting source material from the time period: photographs, newspaper headlines, bomb shelter brochures, advertising, and "editorialized profiles" of major political figures. Many times, I felt like the source material brought me out of the story, but in general, it serves as a...more

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Jan 25, 2011 Kristi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-historical-fiction, young-adult, historical-fiction, juvenile

Countdown is told by an eleven year old girl (Franny), wise beyond her years living through the Cuban Missile Crisis, the fear of Nuclear War and the rise of Communism. Her Dad is an active member of the Air Force, her uncle a war veteran with obvious post-traumatic stress syndrome, she has an older sister who is keeping secrets, a terrified younger brother and a mother who is trying to hold the family together. The President's announcement of the nuclear threat pushes into all aspects of lives...more

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Dec 22, 2010 Becky rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, fiction, historical-fiction, youth

I really liked this book—a documentary novel—the first of a planned trilogy. Eleven-year-old Franny’s coming-of-age story is intertwined with the tense 13 days of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Franny and her family live near Andrews Air Force Base, where her father is an air force pilot. For Franny, her proximity to the base and her father’s position heighten the real fear of nuclear attack that all Americans, even children, felt at the time.(Duck and Cover!) As the Cuban Missile Crisis reaches a pe...more

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Dec 14, 2010 Nick rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: juvenile-fiction, american-history

The basic concept is simple, but interesting: a novel told in such a way as to also act as a history book for a moment in time. The photos, quotations and other contextual notes make this about as close to a hypertext printed novel as I've ever seen.
The "real" story is fairly simple, a slice of life told from the viewpoint of a 5th grade girl, but the setting is the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the place is a town close enough to Washington, D.C. and Andrews Air Force Base that the even...more

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Nov 21, 2010 Becky rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own

Countdown is a little outside the genres I usually read – it’s historical middle-grade, rather than contemporary/paranormal YA – but I loved it. Franny, who is eleven years old, is a wonderful narrator: the perfect blend of humor and seriousness, completely believable, and Deborah Wiles captured the voice of a child perfectly. The other characters are just as good: Franny’s parents, her brother and sister and crazy uncle, her friends, the boy across the street…this could very easily be a totally...more

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Nov 02, 2010 Jessie Oliveros rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a semi-autobiographical book about an eleven year-old girl, Franny Chapman, living outside of Washington D.C. during the Cuban Missile Crisis. (Deborah Wiles also lived outside of Washington D.C. when she was eleven and during the Cuban Missile Crisis.) It is the first of three in the "Sixties Trilogy."

This book has a very unusual format. It's been called a "documentary novel" because interwoven throughout the story are little reports on the Presidents, popular culture, and issues of the...more

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About Deborah Wiles

Deborah Wiles was born in Alabama and spent her summers in a small Mississippi town with an extended family. She writes about them and they live on in her stories.

She has an MFA in Writing from Vermont College and taught at Towson University in Maryland, Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and at Vermont College.

Deborah has written three novels about growing up in the south. They are k...more

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“The secret to not being afraid is to understand what scares you” — 14 people liked it

“There are always scary things happening in the world. There are always wonderful things happening. And it's up to you to decide how you're going to approach the world...how you're going to live in it, and what you're going to do."

—Jo Ellen Chapman” — 8 people liked it

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