Countdown

by Ben Mikaelsen, Dan Brown (Illustrator)

When 14-year-old Elliot Schroeder is selected by NASA to be the first Junior Astronaut, he has no way of knowing the profound effect it will have on Vincent Ole Tome, a Maasai herder who is also 14 years old. An unexpected event puts the boys in contact via short-wave radio, and an African drought and an in-space emergency bring about a climactic fact-to-face meeting.

Genres: Young Adult, Childrens, Science Fiction, Fiction, Space, Adventure, Coming Of Age

256 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1996

Reviews

[✨faith✨trust✨pixiedust✨ Dead Account; Not Coming Back · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't think I really need to explain why every 7th grader living in America from the years 2008 to 2014 all hate this book with a passion.

[William Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that the book Countdown by Ben Mikaelsen was a good book. It tells the story of a young boy named Elliot who is chosen to be the first junior astronaut in space. Meanwhile Vincent, a young Maasai boy from Africa, is figuring out how the world works. While Elliot is in space his job is to talk on a radio. He gets in contact with Vincent everytime the space shuttle is passing over Africa. The boys talk about what way of life is correct and argue because they are so different. When Vincent lands in the space shuttle the boys meet each other and talk about how they would like to learn each others way of life.

Elliot is a normal boy from the United States. He can’t believe he was the first junior astronaut chosen to fly in space. He goes to Houston, Texas for nine months to train for his flight.
Vincent lives in a Massai tribe in Africa. He is made fun of for not being able to kill a lion. He proves to his father there is more to life than just the Massia's way of life.

This story takes place in modern day. The setting switches back and forth from the space shuttle and the tribe where Vincent is living. The setting is very important because the whole purpose of the book is to show that people can still get along with each other even if they have very different ways of life.

The theme of this book is that people can still live peacefully and get along no matter where they are from. Elliot and Vincent grew up in very different families and on opposite sides of the world. They would argue at first but eventually got to know one another and got along with each other.

I would recommend this book to young adults of either gender as it tells a good story.

I would give this book a 4 out of 5 star rating.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Ellie Schroeder finds out that he will become the first junior astronaut, his whole vision of the world changes when he contacts Messai boy in Africa. They learn how theircoijtries blame each other, and what they can do to set an example for peace. I wish that the book could be a little less maturespunding, and more kid like. That's what the book is set on, right? That's why i give this book three stars.

[Tati · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh hey they became friends what a surprise! and Vincent wasn't the only one that Elliot could talk to, and he wasn't even alone in the space shuttle. I hate this book and if you had to read this for school I feel your pain.

[James Uscroft · Rating 1 out of 5]

Patronising 'Liberal' Racism On Overdrive!

The way that the book opened with the author surrogate ranting about drugs, gangs and teen pregnancies was already a red flag; sounding the alarm that the author was a bitter old white man shaking his fist at 'Kids Today' as he longed 'Make America Great Again' a full two decades before Trump first fell backwards into power. But the second I heard the author describe the young Maasai character as being fascinated with the 'Magic' of electricity and the black box which allows people to speak to others all over the world, I immediately ditched this patronising, chauvinistic and 'White Man's Burden' pile of garbage where it belonged. Because the thing that makes it so much worse than any explicitly racist garbage is that the author of this drivel and the schoolboards who forced children to read it genuinely believe that it's enlightened and progressive!

...Seriously, if this book had been written in the 1960's, then that 'Might' have been the case by comparison. But the fact that it was written in the 90's makes me realise just how racist we all remain to this day! Dx

[Rahna Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this was a 3.5 star book.
I did not appreciate the use of the word "ghetto" (twice, I believe), to describe...who? Black people? Disadvantaged or poor people? The term was outdated when the book was written, not sure how it made it to print.

The details about going to space were extensive, but I feel some folks might be interested in that. I thought it was o.k. I would have preferred the NASA space training talk trimmed and the story between Elliot and Vincent expanded, perhaps post-landing.

The part we were all waiting for, when Spaceboy Elliot and Vincent speak over the radio, were too few and far between, but their interactions are the best part.

I love their discussion of what god looks like. Even if you're going to pass on reading the book--just read that part (in Chapter 21)!!!

[James Lopez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was alright. I read it in middle school (the pace we read it was a little hard to keep up with). It was certainly interesting to learn about astronaut-training and Maasai-culture, and it was intriguing when Elliot and Vincent finally make radio-contact, but the story felt somewhat slow overall.

[Lillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A relaxing read that has just a bit of action and suspense. I thought it was clever to make the two protagonists both from cultures where cattle-raising is very important. I think the coming-of-age aspect was implemented more effectively with Vincent the Maasai teenager than with Elliot the American teen.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about two 14-year old boys, one in Africa and one in Montana who becomes an astronaut. I enjoyed learning about the Maasai culture, but wasn't that interested in a day-by-day account of what astronauts go through in their training. It was just okay.

[Will Carlson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Was talking about some of the awful books they made us read for school. This is the worst book ever written. I’d rather read anything else. Fuck this book and fuck whoever did curriculum for the BSD circa 2012.

[Ethan · Rating 1 out of 5]

It does not let me read the book

[Caporn Clay]

khkkhkhkhkhkkkhkhkkkhkkhkhkhkkhkhhkkhkkh

[Rebecca Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok so I read this as a kid. But counting it as a new book because it had been YEARS

[Jo Kuhl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book, and well needed in our time. A wonderful reminder that differences don't make us enemies. Perfect kid book.

[Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

idk why ppl are saying this is racist but 4.25 idk its just super good im kinda disappointed bc of the ending tho ngl cuz i thought it would have more like of them talking so yes anyway it was super good totally recommend

[Anthony · Rating 2 out of 5]

The world is a very cool place. With people from just about every region, having every culture, and living every way possible. You only realize how big our planet really is after you see something life changing. Our world is a small planet. And this book taught me that and not much else.

The Plot: Elliot, an average 14 year old, has been selected to be the first teenager in space. While on the other side of the planet, Vincent, a soon to be Maasai warrior, is faced with the troubles of change. Soon, very soon, these boys lives shall intertwine with each other in the weirdest way possible.

The Characters: Pretty good actually. Elliot and Vincent have realistic reactions to the changes in their life and the people they love.

The Story: Good in theory, messy in practice. I love this idea for a story, he just didn't hit what I wanted him to hit. This book, again, falls flat because it would have been better, had it been longer. (Seems to be a reoccurring theme with 2 stared books)

Hello World: Bitter wind from Crazy Peak tugged at the sagebrush as fourteen-year-old Elliot Schroeder coaxed his big buckskin horse back towards the ranch.

RRAR: Rated 10+ for Blood

The Verdict:

Epic
Awesome
Meh
X
Bad
Terrible

This book did everything right except tell a story I felt was good. I love the characters, I love the idea even more, but the way the author presented it just wasn't good enough. I felt myself dreading Vincent's POV more than Elliot's until the end, just because the story was going nowhere. The ending, while like Giver's, I felt deserved an actual ending instead of a reader created one. And as always, I will see you in cyberspace.

[Christina Getrost · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elliott goes up in orbit on the Space Shuttle as part of a special "junior astronaut" program, and while orbiting he radios down to various ham radio operators. He talks frequently with Vincent, a Maasai boy in Kenya, who is struggling to reconcile the traditional warrior ways he is learning with his desire to know more about the West and to become a doctor. Both boys are a little at odds with their fathers--Elliott's dad is a rancher out West--but through their nightly conversations they come a little closer to understanding another's way of life. Their discussions are also quite humorous, and were what I liked best about the story.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of two boys raised on opposite sides of the Earth: one the first teenage American astronaut, the other a young Maasai cow herder.

This was an interesting subject, but I felt beaten about the head with the author's opinions on caring for the environment and world brotherhood. That is not to say I didn't agree with much of what he said, I just felt that the preaching he did was unnecessary even for a youthful audience.

[Andrew James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two boys are facing difficulty because they want to choose different paths for their lives than what their father's want and expect of them. One boy is from Montana and the other Kenya, a Maasai. They contact one another via radio and due to cultural differences they clash but eventually form a strong friendship.

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this author a lot for children's novels. His writing is captivating and he tackles important issues. This wasn't one of my favorites from him. My son might like it when he gets older if he still aspires to become an astronaut when he grows up.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent read for middle schooler's and I highly recommend it. What a great book in showing how completely different kids (culturally) can reach out and get past the differences. Because really, when it comes down to it, they are just two kids growing up. Really enjoyed this book!

[Esal · Rating 1 out of 5]

In this book the author tried to show different cultures with an interesting story, but he failed to do both. He was only able to show the Maasai culture and make one of the worst stories I have ever read. I wouldn't have read it if if wasn't required for school.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book to help Jason with his summer reading packet for 7th grade. It's a good story, though I don't think Jason allowed himself to enjoy it, because it was for a school assignment!

[Carli · Rating 4 out of 5]

we had 2 read it for literature in 6th grade (easy read 4 sixth graders!) and my friends and i all thought it was going 2 b stupid but we ended up liking it!

[Lorna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars

[Mary Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talk about mixing cultures!

[Ragan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice little book about cultural differences. A quick read.

[Schoolnerd=) · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was merely ok. Not one of my favorites but deffinitly an amazing mesh of two different cultures.

[Han Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, full of suspense.

[LeAnne · Rating 2 out of 5]

For me this was too full of information on both sides. The action seems incidental to their conversations, and there are multiple little lessons rather than any driving theme.