Endangered

ENDANGERED by Eliot Schrefer. Scholastic, November 2012.

When Sophie heads off to stay with her mother in the bonobo sanctuary she runs in the Congo, she is less than thrilled. Her mother always seems to be too busy with the bonobos. But before she can actually arrive at the enclosure, Sophie manages to purchase a bonobo from a roadside peddler. It is, of course, against the law to sell these endangered animals, and this one appears near death to Sophie. She believes she is doing the right thing: savings its life. However, in this country with ample political problems, Sophie has put herself at risk. She nurses the bonobo back to health, thankfully. But before long, the facility is attacked. Sophie ends up fleeing into the jungle with her bonobo, Otto. They must struggle to survive the wilderness and those human predators who can be even more dangerous. Survival, politics, family relationships, endangered animals and more combine to make this a nail-biting thrill ride. <548>