Deborah Wiles is the author of the picture book Freedom Summer and the novels: Love, Ruby Lavender; The Aurora County All-Stars; Each Little Bird That Sings, a National Book Award finalist; and A Long Line of Cakes. She is also the author of the documentary novels Countdown; Revolution, a National Book Award Finalist; and Anthem. She has vivid memories of ducking and covering under her school desk during air-raid drills at the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis. She also sang in the Glee Club, was a champion speller, and hated Field Day. Deborah lives in Atlanta, Georgia. You can visit her on the web at deborahwiles.com.
Praise for Countdown (The Sixties Trilogy #1): * Wiles skillfully keeps many balls in the air, giving readers a story that appeals across the decades as well as offering enticing paths into the history. -- Booklist, starred review * The larger story . . . told here in an expert coupling of text and design, is how life endures, even triumphs, no matter how perilous the times. -- Horn Book, starred review * References to duct tape (then newly invented), McDonald's and other pop culture lend authenticity to this phenomenal story of the beginnings of radical change in America. -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review * Wiles palpably recreates the fear kids felt when air-raid sirens and duck-and-cover drills were routine . . . this story is sure to strike a chord with those living through tough times today. -- Publishers Weekly, starred review Praise for Revolution (The Sixties Trilogy #2): * With elements of family drama and coming of age themes that mirror the larger sociopolitical backdrop, Revolution is a book that lingers long after the last page. -- School Library Journal, starred review * 1960s words and images still sound and resound in this triumphant middle volume of the author's Sixties Trilogy. -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review