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 just waiting for a bomb to fall. 

It’s 1962, and it seems 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 going 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. It is an experience you will never forget.

COUNTDOWN © Copyright 2011 by Deborah Wiles. Reprinted with permission by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved.