I loved Little House on the Prairie books and the Dear America series as a young reader. In my exploration into young adult literature recently, I had been searching for a historical fiction novel that would peak my interest the way those series had when I was younger. As I was searching, my roommate had told me I would love Countdown by Deborah Wiles. Countdown is a story that is factual enough that it seems like you are learning things, but it is enough of a fantasy that you can get lost in the story. It is 375 pages long- a lengthy book for a young adult novel- but it moves quickly. The text is mixed in with pictures and artifacts from the era it is set in. The reader sees the landscape of the 1960s through the mind of Franny, a twelve year old girl. Wiles takes on a family that is together, but struggling, and makes a unique story of a family trying to function in a dysfunctional world.
Franny is a relatable character. She does not just pine after a boy; she is worried about her family and her friends. Young adult literature tends to look into the relationships between a young girl and a boy instead of delving into the relationship between friends. This is truly an untapped portion of YA. The Gossip Girl series is one of the few others that does this. They engross you in the relationships while immersing you in another world. This is oddly exactly what Countdown does, albeit in a more serious and less scandalous context. At this age, friendships are all important, and it is odd that more books do not delve into it. Franny, was quiet, shy and yet has a certain brand of boldness within her. She was not the most popular girl, nor was she a social outcast she was just a girl. This is so much more relatable than the extreme characters that can often populate YA literature.
Franny’s personal struggle with her best friend and temporary enemy, Margie, is symbolic of the larger backdrop of the Cold War itself. Their fights are over small things, but the fights themselves are what matter. They fight over a boy, Chris, who is one more piece of territory then an actual goal, much in the way the US and Russia fought over third world countries to claim them for themselves. This interweaving of politics and relationships is quite smart and satisfying for a more advanced reader, but by reading and viewing the pictures, a younger reader can still achieve the same level of understanding.
There are lots of areas of history that have not been utilized by YA fiction, particularly “women’s history” (women in historical settings as well as the typical historical figures). For instance, one could explore the complex, three dimensional figures of Nancy Cunard, Queen Victoria, Abigail Adams, Lady Alyce Kyteler, Tura Satana, and many more. I only wish there had been a young adult book about them when I was a young adult, so I would know as many cool things about them then as I have come to learn.
If you like this: Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson, Mare’s War by, Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith , The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party by M. T. Anderson, Claudette Colvin: Twice Towards Justice by Phillip Hoose, Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson
