Countdown — Ben Mikaelsen

When fourteen-year-old Elliot Schroeder is selected by NASA to be the first Junior Astronaut, he has no way of knowing the profound effect it will have on Vincent Ole Tome, a Maasai herder who is also fourteen years old. An unexpected event puts the boys in contact via short- wave radio, and an African drought and an in-space emergency bring about a climactic face-to-face meeting. Provocative and action-packed, this novel probes culture and value differences while offering plenty of perilous exploits for fans of high adventure.