Countdown

by Ben Mikaelsen Narrated by George Guidall

Overview

Fourteen-year-olds Elliot and Vincent live worlds apart, but both dream of a better life. Learning to run the Montana ranch that he will some day inherit, Elliot dreams of being an astronaut. In Africa, Vincent must deny his thirst for knowledge of the world beyond his village in order to become a Masai warrior. Forced to quit school, his only link to the outside world is a short wave radio. The boys find each other when NASA chooses Elliot to be its first Junior Astronaut. As Elliot hurtles through space over Africa, Vincent picks him up on the short wave radio. At first their communications, monitored by the news media, are fraught with misunderstanding. But as they learn about each other's culture, their friendship captures the world's attention and promises hope for the future. George Guidall's narrative expertise instantly gets listeners involved in this fast-paced coming-of-age tale. They are sure to absorb its inspiring message about the value of communication among cultures.

Editorial Reviews

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8If you can buy the premise that NASA would randomly choose a teenager to serve as a payload specialist aboard the space shuttle, then this ambitious book will make an enjoyable near-future-fiction read. Elliot Schroeder, 14, of Crazy Peak, MT, is selected to fly on the shuttle, while Vincent Tome, a 14-year-old Maasai youth living in Kenya, considers whether his future lies as a warrior or as a person educated in the white man's ways. The boys' stories merge when Elliot, whose primary assignment is to talk from orbit via short-wave radio to ham-radio operators around the world, contacts Vincent. Their vast cultural differences spark genuine conflict, distrust, and dislike. When a shuttle emergency forces a landing at Dakar, Senegal, NASA flies Vincent to meet Elliot, allowing the boys to reach across space and culture to make the world a bit more peaceful. Both boys are credibly shown to be inquisitive idealists. And they are dreamers, yearning for lives that exceed their fathers' expectations. Elliot feels he must outperform the alternate Teen-in-Space applicant, a girl named Mandy, while Vincent (more convincingly) faces conflicts with Leboo, a boastful bully. Careful research allows integration of details that lend authenticity to the tale, and the plot moves quickly enough to engage the intended audience while challenging readers to consider their own cultural biases.Joel Shoemaker, Southeast Jr. High School, Iowa City, IA

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171051532
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	08/28/2009
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	10 - 13 Years

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