There are a few common themes in the book Countdown by Deborah Wiles. On theme in the book is fear, because it takes place in the 60's which is when bombs were in Cuba and there were many threats of death to Americans. Another theme is confusion because often times people won't tell Franny what's going on.
Franny feels fear constantly throughout the book. Every second of Franny and her family's life is consumed by fear of death. Franny was at school during a test drill and from then on she was scared all the time. Franny overhears the news and all she can think about is how to "duck and cover when you see a flash brighter than the sun". All the grown-ups surrounding Franny are terrified as well, so there isn't much comfort. If I were in her shoes I wouldn't even be able to sleep at night. There is so much stress in the household, I would go crazy.
Franny is often confused by what is happening. She is confused because teachers and parents don't tell her anything about what is happening in the war. Her sister is also always running away and doing work at college that she won't tell Franny about. She asked her mom where her sister is and her mom just replied "Jo Ellen will be home soon" which is very vague. Everyone else in her family also only answers her questions vaguely. the only person who isn't confusing her is her younger brother Drew, because he is on the same page as her.
In conclusion Franny went through a tough time that made the book much more interesting. Seeing her solve mysteries about what was happening was suspensful and intregueing. The author made this book super immersive and I loved every minute of it!
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