Countdown is a book written by Ben Mikaelsen and was first published in 1996. It has a total of 248 pages and published by the Hyperion Books for Children company. This book is mainly about sending the first teenager in space. And it is also about finding how a young coward becomes a village warrior.

This story takes place in Big Timber, Montana and in Kenya, Africa. The setting starts off in winter and fourteen-year-old Elliott Schroeder is busy working around his family farm. On the news, NASA announces the first Junior Astronaut program and youth all around the country will get a chance to become the first teen in space.

Meanwhile, in Kenya, Africa, a young fourteen year old Masai, Vincent Ole Tome returns from tending to his family farm also. Vincent was no ordinary boy either, his father had sent him to the "wood school" which is similar to regular school in America. With the education he had received, many boys disliked him and named him a coward for not working as hard in the family farms.

Getting back to Elliott, many things occurred since the announcement of the Junior Astronaut program. Elliott is chosen to become to first teenager in space and begins his nine mon

While all of this was happening in America, in Kenya, Africa, Vincent is now being tested by the elders of his village along with all other young Masai boys to find who is the bravest of them to become a warrior. Leboo, a not so close friend of Vincent, tries to tear Vincent's spirits down by naming him a coward. While this is happening, Sambeke, Vincent's friend, his father, and village elders all try and teach him different ways of handling this type of pressure and in the end Vincent finds to be dishonored by his very own father and is asked to leave the family and live as a "so called" coward until he can redeem himself of their honor.

Elliott Andrew Schroeder is a very dynamic person in which he carries many different traits throughout the entire story. This fourteen year old has learned a lot through his experiences and in the beginning was a very caring: "You'd be dead if I haven't found you"(1), and selfish person: ",..he had crossed the line and cheated"(108). In the end, he shows to be a very respectful: "If that's how the Maasai show friendship, I can learn to show friendship like that, too."(245), and once again caring person. He shows these traits and when he finally learns how caring one person can be which reveals one of this book's themes.

th training along with his alternate, Mandy Jane Harris. This was it, the only chance that Elliott Andrew Schroeder was going to become a national hero and the only thing in his way was Mandy. Because of that he developed a disliking towards her which almost costed them their privilege to go to space. Then Elliott realized that his disliking had to reasonable justification and they became the best of friends for the last four months of training. Then the day came, when Elliott was really going to become the first teen in space and his only duty was to speak to anyone on earth throughout NASA's space mission.

Sleep was not

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1283
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)