Countdown by Ben Mikaelsen — Ben Mikaelsen

AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR BEN MIKAELSENDANGER IN SPACE!Separated by country and culture, will danger unite Elliot, a young astronaut, and Vincent, a Maasai herder?When NASA selected Elliot to be the first teen in space, he eagerly anticipated the day he would board the space shuttle Endeavour. After intense preparations, Elliot never expected anything to go wrong on his voyage, but when danger threatens, the only contact he has, via shortwave radio, is with Vincent, a Maasai boy in Kenya. The two can't agree on anything. When the Endeavour makes an emergency landing on the coast of West Africa and Elliot's life is hanging in the balance, can he and Vincent reconcile their cultural differences and become friends?Mikaelsen weaves a provocative message through his novel and blends two fast-paced stories into a single, powerful whole. —Booklist (starred review)