Countdown

Elliot Schroeder and Vincent Ole Tome live in opposite worlds. Elliot is NASA's first junior astronaut; Vincent is a young Masai boy on the brink of manhood ceremonies. Both boys have dreamed of a life different from the one their fathers planned for them. The two boys meet as Elliot glides through space, making radio contact with schools and ham radio operators around the world. George Guidall is the wrong reader for this book. His voice is too resonant and too mature to capture the sound of the boys' voices. Guidall also misses the mark presenting many of the minor adult characters. Only when he is creating the voice of Tome, Vincent's sick and aging father, does Guidall shine; his measured pace and deep tones convey sympathy and respect for the dignified patriarch. Nonetheless, the drama of the liftoff, the depiction of what it takes to become an astronaut, and the details of life in space--contrasted with life as a tribal herdsman--will draw many young listeners to this book. L.R.S. (c) AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine