Countdown

I loved this. I was skeptical when it began with pages of newspaper clippings and graphics; I worried there was no human/individual story. But there was, and it was exactly what I think kids' books should be. Historically informative and offering a well-rounded snapshot of one point in time, individually gripping, full of very real kid emotion on both the big and small topics, and not afraid to shy away from pain but ending with hope.