Countdown, Ben Mikaelsen
Countdown, Ben Mikaelsen
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

Countdown

Author: Ben Mikaelsen

Narrator: George Guidall

Unabridged: 6 hr 22 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Recorded Books

Published: 08/28/2009

Categories: Children's Fiction


Synopsis

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.

Reviews

Goodreads review by William on March 09, 2015

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 t......more

Goodreads review by Rahna on October 04, 2022

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 The term was outdated when the book was written, not sure how it made it to print.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......more

Goodreads review by Lillian on January 01, 2025

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......more

Goodreads review by James on November 24, 2020

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 ove......more

Goodreads review by Rebecca on June 10, 2023

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