Franny Chapman

Franny is an 11-year-old girl in 1962 when the Cuban Missile Crisis is at its peak. She is the middle child of a military family with an older sister and younger brother. Her father is a military officer and her mother is a stay-at-home mom. Her father's uncle, Uncle Otts, also lives with the family. They live in Maryland but Franny remembers their time in Hawaii with fondness.

Franny is, in most ways, typical for her age and the time. She is concerned about the world and fears that her life will be cut short by the political upheaval. She is often concerned about what others think of her. When Uncle Otts shows up after school one day, ranting about the need for preparedness, Franny fears that the other children will laugh at her and that prohibits her from helping her beloved uncle through that difficult moment of...