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Although it evidently has been in the works for years and years, I knew nothing about this book (although I had read the author's other works) until a few weeks ago when I saw one of my goodread friends was reading it. Curious I contacted the publisher for an ARC. They told me it wasn't ready yet and they'd send me a manuscript. Now I don't generally like reading manuscripts and so told them I'd wait for the ARC, but they sent it anyway. And am I glad they did.
How to describe it? On the one hand ...more
How to describe it? On the one hand ...more
This is essentially 3 books in one. It is a scrapbook of 1962 with pictures of people and words of songs and speeches. These are stunningly presented and are integral to the story's setting and plot. It is a history lesson, with several chapters dedicated to explaining famous people and events. These give the reader the context of the fears of Franny, the main character, and her family. It also provides a much-needed background for today's young reader, who is likely not to be familiar with this
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Dare I say that this beats out One Crazy Summer as my Newbery pick? I am such a sucker for books featuring old ads and PSAs and photos, so this book was practically written just for me. It reminded me a lot of the feeling I got when I read The Green Glass Sea, Al Capone Does My Shurts, and The Loud Silence of Francine Greene. I love seeing charactersbwho just happen to be in the middle of an epic moment in history.
One criticism of Countdown has been that it can seem disjointed at times. But I kn ...more
One criticism of Countdown has been that it can seem disjointed at times. But I kn ...more
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 ...more
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 ...more
I probably would have given this 4 stars if all the documentary extras had been stuck at the end instead of interspersed, distracting me from Franny's story and making the book much more disjointed than it needed to be. Then I thought, maybe the confusion and disorientation caused by the addition of photos, snippits of speeches, newspaper clippings and other ephemera may be the authors way of helping you relate to the confusion and disorientation the character might be going through, living thro
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Enjoyed the format of the book. I could relate to many of the things in the story because I was in elementary school during the time period of this story. Still not sure what age group to share this book with.
another great historical fiction coming-of-age book for older children about an era i am into - early 1960s. duck and cover cuban missile crisis bay of pigs boy/girl parties student activism and friendship drama.
A unique audio experience. Emma Galvin narrates Franny's story, but interspersed are historical non-fiction sections as well as bits of speeches from the time period and snatches of song. While I listened to this, I kept a copy of the physical book handy as well so I could look through the images that Wiles included with those non-fiction sections.
Engrossing, historically detailed, introspective. Franny is trying to cope with all sort of changes in her life - her sister has gone off to college, ...more
Engrossing, historically detailed, introspective. Franny is trying to cope with all sort of changes in her life - her sister has gone off to college, ...more
A fascinating use of images and quotations from the era, along with a story and characters that are absolutely engaging. Even knowing what I do about the Cuban Missile Crisis, seeing it from Franny's point of view made it immediate and terrifying - although Franny's focus is still often on her family and friends (or former friends). A great choice especially for girls who enjoy historical fiction or for readers looking for a story about friendship. If this shows up on the OLA/WLA Mock Newbery li
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The opening of the audio version is awesome! Lots of different voices - sounds like a radio dial turning and tuning in on various things - news announcements, etc.
It would be fun to share that audio clip as part of a book talk.
It would be fun to share that audio clip as part of a book talk.
The audio was fantastic. They incorporated the news reports and other era-related material in an amazing way. Can't wait for the next one!
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Excellent, entertaining audio book. Love these 10 year old coming of age stories.
This became a trip down memory lane for me. The songs, lyrics, images, historic attributions, all contributed to making an interesting book for those of us who grew up in the 50s and 60s. However, because of the format, though I think the story was worth reading and the historical aspect well- presented, I'm not convinced that children will love it or get it. It's quite choppy. When my book club read it, they told me they'd mostly skipped over the pictures and historic references. Too bad.
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This is the first children's book I've read with the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis as a backdrop.
I liked the 1960's historical details and it really gives the reader the feeling of the fear that gripped the nation at that time. I liked the documentary style photographs. ...more
I liked the 1960's historical details and it really gives the reader the feeling of the fear that gripped the nation at that time. I liked the documentary style photographs. ...more
Apr 20, 2010
Dana
marked it as to-read
RL 800
Feb 28, 2011
Rebecca
marked it as to-read
Feb 25, 2013
Sarah
marked it as to-read
Apr 05, 2014
Dan
marked it as to-read
Jun 21, 2014
Alison
marked it as to-read
