Countdown by Deborah Wiles

Title: Countdown
Author: Deborah Wiles
Reviewer: Stephanie
Genre: Documentary Fiction
Rating: WORSHIP!
Alerts/Warnings: The subject deals with the fear of nuclear war. It is a clean book, but be aware of the subject material.
Premise: "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 the whole country is living in fear..." (King County Library System
Opinions: I LOVED this book. This is one of the best books I've read this year. This is the story of the Cuban missle crisis and how it affects a young girl, Franny, and her Air Force family. The story was compelling and interesting. I liked that the story was not about just the threat of nuclear war, but the life of this girl and how she was affected by it and was still living her life. One of the absolute coolest things about this book was the format. Mixed throughout the story were pictures, quotes, lyrics and biographies of important people, events and songs. I truly got a feel of 1962. This is the best example I've ever read of Documentary Fiction and I hope everyone takes the time to read this amazing book.