Schrefer, without sentimentality, again and again throughout the book shows readers this commonality, making readers think hard about ourselves as humans and our relationship to others in this world. Shortly after Sophie's arrival the war arrives at the sanctuary.
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Schrefer does not shy away at his depiction of the horrors of this. In fact, it was this that won me over completely. For I followed closely the conflict in Sierra Leone, a place I knew well long ago, and there are many commonalities to what has happened in the DRC; the drugged child-soldiers, the frightened villagers, the many dreadful things that have been reported from both regions are all too familiar to me.
Schrefer presents them truthfully, at times terrifyingly, and sensitively all steadfastly through Sophie's eyes. Unable to abandon Otto, instead of leaving the country with the UN, Sophie flees with him. At first she stays with other bonobos, but eventually she has to leave them too and sets out on a difficult journey to find her mother who had been releasing bonobos back into the wild in another part of the country when the war began.
Sophie is a remarkable character, full of grit and gumption, and readers are bound to be riveted as her efforts to save Otto and herself are tested again and again as they make their journey. Schrefer does an amazing job communicating their physical and emotional hardships, giving readers a feel for the community and ways of the bonobos and how they link to us humans, and also a straightforward view of the way the conflict affects humans as well, both the victims and the transgressors. By the end, I was completely won over. Schrefer has crafted an outstanding work about Africa, about bonobos, and about the complexities of the relationship we humans have with the world around us.
Dec 31, Shomeret rated it it was amazing Shelves: This is a YA book for mature readers who don't flinch from reading about horrific violence against animals and human beings. It's about a very courageous fourteen year old girl whose mother runs a sanctuary for bonobo apes in a country in chaos where bonobos are sold on the black market and routinely slaughtered. It's an extremely powerful book and an important one. I also very much liked the interview with author Eliot Schrefer at the back of the book. I found it very insightful.
I was very int This is a YA book for mature readers who don't flinch from reading about horrific violence against animals and human beings. I was very interested in what he has to say about why bonobos are so radically different from chimps, and the implications this has for humans. Schrefer was asked whether it's ethical to concern ourselves with the mistreatment of animals when humans are in crisis.
He responded that the same people who are cruel toward animals will also be cruel to humans that they believe are lower status, and that it's essentially the same problem. Feminists have had the same insight about violence against women and children. People who are obsessed with their lack of power are deranged by it. This is the last book I read in for the Around the World challenge, and I thought Schrefer was equally insightful about the problems of the Democratic Republic of the Congo where this book takes place.
I do consider it my top read of Oct 10, Laura McNeal rated it it was amazing Shelves: This is a great book in two important ways: I think the second part illustrates the singular role that young people's literature can play in the world, and how it differs from regular coming-of-age novels written for adults. To tell a story about a year-old Congolese-A This is a great book in two important ways: To tell a story about a year-old Congolese-American girl trapped in a bonobo sanctuary by a war one in which machetes are used in frighteningly realistic ways , and to imagine that this story might be about her survival , is incredibly audacious.
Some might even say implausible. But adventure stories with young narrators have always been implausible. The trick--the beautiful, saving trick--is to make the reader care enough about the heroine and believe enough in her wit and pluck to trigger that accommodation we make mentally in a book, where we go, "Okay, yes, it's really unlikely that this character could survive this, but oooooh I'm so glad she did. One of the ways that Schrefer softens the truth without perverting or destroying it is that he takes the animal-child bonding story my favorite of this type being Where the Red Fern Grows and sets it in an African country during a war.
Will readers experience the kind of pain that comes from reading about the suffering of apes and people? But that type of suffering does occur--Schrefer isn't making it up to make the story more dramatic. Through Sophie's travels, the reader will see real places inhabited by real, complex animals and complex people, and the reader will be able to endure her painful discoveries and enjoy her triumphs for the same reason that Sophie can endure them: Of all the feelings to learn about through literature, I can think of none more ennobling than that: You may not be strong all by yourself, but you can be incredibly strong for someone or something smaller and more helpless.
Jun 10, Donalyn rated it it was amazing Shelves: Part socially and political commentary. Apr 30, Barb Middleton rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: I started twiddling out reviews as a class assignment two years ago thinking it would help me remember novels when book-talking with students. Lo and behold, this reflection process has been like a boiling hotpot with questions bubbling to the surface as I bumble along.
What makes children's books great versus average or what makes picture books rise to an artistic level? What began as an assignment has morphed into an enjoyable blogging journey into the world of children's literature. A common I started twiddling out reviews as a class assignment two years ago thinking it would help me remember novels when book-talking with students. A common element inked in good children's books is they speak to both children and adults with various interpretations based on experience and this novel is no exception.
I often have students point out a theme or picture detail that I missed or didn't notice as an adult, while I might point out a theme or detail from my perspective as an adult that they don't see. When Sophie saves a baby bonobo ape off the street of Kinshasa, Congo, in chapter one, I applaud her courage for doing the right thing, but I also think of her as an impulsive teenager who is not thinking about the consequences of her actions.
As an adult, I would have called her mother before making that decision because I know that traffickers and poachers are dangerous. Sophie's mother has been running a bonobo sanctuary for over six years and has the knowledge and tools to deal with this type of situation. Sophie, who grew up in the Congo, has lived for the past six years with her father in the United States.
Their parents are divorced and Sophie is visiting her mom for the summer. A young reader will probably side with Sophie's actions. She is fourteen-years-old and when she sees a half-starved bonobo, she rescues it. Shucks, her mom owns a sanctuary and will be happy, right? Sophie's youthfulness and innocence makes her noble and seemingly right decision to save the bonobo tragic because the action is ultimately the wrong one. The moral dilemma facing Sophie is a driving force in the novel as she discovers that she can't save the bonobos one at a time like she does with the trafficker on the street, but must consider the endangered animals from a sociologically viewpoint; she must think about how the problem is reflected in the poverty of the Congolese people and the history of colonial abuse from foreigners that have stripped the Congo of its rich resources.
She learns this lesson throughout the novel when the capital city of Kinshasa is overthrown and the president murdered. Militiamen and boys take to the streets shooting and butchering people with machetes. When the sanctuary gets attacked and rebels take over, Sophie flees to the forest with the bonobos learning to survive in the wild and trying to reunite with her mother who happened to be in a remote area north of the capital releasing bonobos into the wild. The constant tension from Sophie's life being threatened, by either the rebel soldiers or bonobos as she figures out their hierarchy, makes this a page turner.
Her discomfort of living in the jungle and dealing with mosquitoes, leeches, crickets, and more, involve the reader's senses creating a vivid atmosphere and setting. Sophie doesn't dwell on the deaths of people, she's too busy trying to survive and she forces traumatic thoughts out of her mind. I thought it might be dealt with after the ordeal but the author skips ahead about four years. While some might not like this, it does make it more suitable for young readers who will focus more on the adventures than horrors of war.
This doesn't mean that the author skips the ugliness of war; just that the violence occurs after-the-fact versus a graphic description of someone being killed. One section becomes particularly intense when Sophie has to deal with a drunk boy soldier. Earlier, an adult explains to Sophie how young boys are snatched to become soldiers and must fight each other to the death.
Without giving away any of the plot Sophie cleverly works her way out of what could have been a violent rape situation. It probably isn't realistic but the author portrays the boy soldier as just as much a victim as Sophie; thus making it appropriate for a younger audience. While there is violence, it is toned down moreso than books like, "Code Name Verity" ; Sophie might stumble over a body or hear screams that suddenly stop, but that is about it.
These aren't accessible for younger readers and it is fantastic all the great childrens books being written that help build responsible citizens and impress the inseparable connections between humans, animals, and the environment. I have read a bundle of books like this lately. If you want more try: These stories need to be heard. View all 3 comments. Dec 27, Kate rated it it was amazing. Set in war torn Congo, this is the story of a girl and the bonobo she saves, who ends up saving her right back. It's part survival story, part adventure, part coming-of-age tale, and all wonderful.
Recommended for ages 12 and up, with the understanding that the violence of civil war isn't sugar coated here. This is a book that will leave thoughtful readers with a bigger view of the world in all its beauty and in all its sadness, too. I support independent bookstores. Jun 29, Michael rated it it was amazing. Did you know that bonobos are great apes not monkeys? Did you know that Endangered is a great book about apes? This book is awesome. Sophie and Otto's desperate journey makes for a gripping story, and the war-torn Congo provides a fascinating and gritty backdrop.
And oh those bonobos! The descriptions of their behavior and interactions are fascinating and expertly woven into the narrative.
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Two opposable thumbs up! Nov 28, Gillian Berry rated it it was amazing. When I read a book, I like to read it like I think a writer should. That means I look out for structure, pacing, character develop, word usage. I started Endangered like that: I ended it a sobbing mess. For all reviewers like to dissect themes and metaphor and diction, the most important part of a book, for me, is how much you invest in When I read a book, I like to read it like I think a writer should. The characters and their which become our feelings.
All of that is enhanced by brilliant line writing, it's true. Endangered did all that and more. The themes are gorgeous. Gorgeous, frightening, and powerful. Safety and friendship and humanity. Is it human to save yourself and let animals die? Is it human to give up your life for an animals? Sophie, the devoted heroine, is forced to wonder about all these things in truly harrowing or death situations. The level of brutality in this wartime book is right on, causing just the right level of fear. The torn apart setting of the not so Democratic Republic of the Congo is a place rarely visited in young adult literature, and rarely visited so well.
You can smell it and taste it. Parts of it are beautiful and brightly colored, but, as Sophie points out, one of the brightest colors of the color is red. This is technically a thriller, fast paced, with gasp-inducing developments. The bonobos are as real as people. Their feelings and actions are so vivid and complex. The author does a fantastic job of submerging yourself in their world. Following Sophie and Otto through their perils was an interactive experience. I worried about them, cheered for them, cried for them.
This is an absolutely must read for anyone looking for a real world book about love, animals, friendship, and war. Excuse me while I go wipe my wet blotchy face and blow my nose. Originally posted at Writer of Wrongs Dec 12, Mary rated it it was amazing Shelves: A heartwrenching novel about a fourteen-year-old American-Congolese girl and her harrowing adventure to save an endangered bonobo in the wartorn Democratic Republic of Congo. Schrefer has done a great deal of research to make this true to the circumstances and does not sugarcoat the terrible truth of the human and animal suffering that is created by greed and corruption.
A riveting story that makes you care about the human characters and animals, that explains with a good story the current event A heartwrenching novel about a fourteen-year-old American-Congolese girl and her harrowing adventure to save an endangered bonobo in the wartorn Democratic Republic of Congo. A riveting story that makes you care about the human characters and animals, that explains with a good story the current events, and ultimately leaves you with some hope that love and education can make a difference.
Feb 22, Emmy Gregory rated it it was ok. The problem I had with this book is that the main protagonist is a stupid impulsive brat who brings everything bad that happens to her onto herself by being a complete idiot. I couldn't get past that. The writing isn't bad, exactly, but it's not good enough to make up for this flaw with the character.
I wanted to punch her. Jan 17, Wendy rated it really liked it Shelves: Weirdly telescoped in the last third. I'd expected the first third to take up the whole book, but it wasn't just that But overall, enjoyed this very much. Girl surviving in the woods! Aug 07, Laura Phelps rated it it was amazing Shelves: I loved everything about this book. The setting was compelling, the characters both human and primate were exceptionally well drawn, and the storyline was absolutely riveting. Feb 04, Joanna Marple rated it it was amazing.
Sophie is a spunky, honest and intelligent fourteen year-old. She is biracial, with an Italian American father and Congolese mother, who are divorced. The day of her arrival for her summer stay, she makes a poor judgment call, though out of compassion, and we find her in t Synopsis: The day of her arrival for her summer stay, she makes a poor judgment call, though out of compassion, and we find her in the opening pages bonding with a young, rescued, orphan bonobo, named Otto.
When the war hits Kinshasa, a day after her mother has left to release some bonobos elsewhere in Congo, everything changes for Sophie as the story develops into one of her own flight and survival rather than just the saving of one baby bonobo. Her long journey to find her mother who is at a release site is fraught with the inevitable dangers of a young female girl in a war zone. The way she encounters each challenge is what makes this story unique. Why I like this book: It is extremely difficult to even begin to present to anyone the horrific and complicated conflicts such as what happened in Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and the Ivory Coast or the food crises and conflicts in recent years in Somalia and Ethiopia, as well as what is still happening in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Also as a passionate animal advocate, I recognize it is also very difficult for outsiders who focus on animal welfare, to comprehend the needs of a people in the depths of poverty. The amateur sleuthing puts the sibs into some mildly suspenseful, occasionally amusing, situations, which, as in the previous book, share space with run-ins with a local bully Noah takes some lumps but gets sweet revenge.
An old-fashioned deus ex machina interrupts an otherwise believable setup, but Hiaasen still succeeds at relating an entertaining story while getting across a serious message about conservation and the results of just plain greed. Joe takes a small job helping an arthritic old boat builder replace some rotten boards in his house. The Adventures of The Sizzling Six series by Claire and Boris Datnow Six determined teens plunge into an exciting eco adventure to help save an endangered species. Ebooks are free to read through Kindle Unlimited.
When Polly Greene's older sister Bree runs away from home, Polly and her eccentric grandmother believe she is hiding in the neighboring Idaho woods, and when they discover a mysterious, hidden grove of larches, Polly and her friends build a shelter for Bree and try to save the grove from developers. In the early s, thirteen-year-old Tyler encounters vicious hunters whose actions threaten to destroy the Everglades ecosystem, and as a result joins the battle to protect that fragile environment.
In a future Earth recovering from a devastating plague, Jasmine Rochelle, the adopted daughter of a politician assassinated by a radical environmental group, is plunged into a world of genetically engineered drugs, political intrigue and corporate greed leading her and her friend deep into the re-created South American rain forests, where a terrible secret is hidden.
Desperate to uncover the secret of his mother's death, fifteen-year-old Max Gordon, pursued by enemies, travels from the bleakness of Dartmoor to the rainforest of Central America, where the environmental devastation hides a sinister secret. Number 3 in the Caretaker Trilogy NoveList: Jack discovers that the only way to protect the Earth from ecological disaster at the hands of the Dark Army is to lock time, and he must choose between staying in the present or returning to the future world from which he came.
When shy, quiet Jane Ray rescues a drowning seabird from an oil spill in the waters off Vancouver, she finds herself face-to-face with national television cameras and head-to-head with the alleged culprit, SeaKing Shipping Pacific. Sandy, a city kid with an attitude, is unhappy being forced to spend the summer on an island with his uncle, but then he finds a friend in Flipper the dolphin and uncovers an environmental hazard in the sea.
A keen observer with a wry wit, Michael is a sympathetic character, always sure his friends are having a better summer than he is. His sometimes sardonic responses to the casual environmental lectures by Walt and Nora will make the information in them more palatable to readers.
A new slant on ecological fiction. Reviewed May 15, -- Carolyn Phelan. Feeling guilty after her mother's accidental death, sixteen-year-old Tessendra Rockwood leaves the abundance of Eden to fight for survival in the drought-devastated Badlands, but when she joins the rebel group, Kudzu, to fight the tyranny of Eden's government, she is in for some big surprises. You're Stormy Jones, a pregnant year-old punk rock chick with "sky eyes" and a pink tipped blond Mohawk with spear tats on each side of your shaved head.
You're racing a stolen chopper that belongs to the chief of the Seminoles and it seems half the cops in south Florida are hot on your tail from land, sea, and air. Cultures clash, sparks fly, love blooms, people die, and two kids, one a little bit punk and the other way too country, see their lives changed forever. Stormy Jones has to spend summers with her father, an Everglades park ranger.
Thinking it might build character, he drags her along to fight an Everglades fire and promptly loses her when it gets out of control. The story of a young boy, orphaned by AIDS in a fictional African setting, who becomes involved in a dangerous adventure with illegal deforestation and an endangered gorilla along the way. A Bird, a Girl, and a Rescue by J. Eleven-year-old Kiisa and her messenger bird, Njili, go on a dangerous rescue mission in Africa that includes rebels, stolen girls, illegal logging, a hungry cobra, and learning bravery and forgiveness along the way.
A Chameleon, a Boy, and a Quest by J. Orphaned ten-year-old Mu's drudgery-filled life changes forever when he meets a talking chameleon and the pair embark on an adventurous quest in the everchanging landscape of Africa. When Ashley travels from her remote Arctic community to New York City to perform with her Dream Drummer group at Carnegie Hall, they meet a former environmentalist who is determined to endanger the Earth.
One in a series of eco mysteries by the author, who also wrote the My Side of the Mountain trilogy. Twelve-year-old Maggie receives European fire bugs for her birthday, but when they fail to metamorphose and grow grossly large and explode instead, she uses scientific reasoning to determine the cause of their strange death. After Spinner Shafter catches a cutthroat trout in the Snake River, she and her cousin Alligator search the nearby mountains to determine where the endangered fish came from and how it survived.
Miles O'Malley, a boy with a fascination for the sea, copes with the trials of growing up, his infatuation with the girl next door, bickering parents, and his fear that his life and his beloved Puget Sound are slipping away. Seventeen-year-old Jason and his girlfriend Kris spearhead a movement to save a wilderness area from being replaced by a mall. While a group of people camps near a road construction site in hopes of saving a hill that some believe holds a terrible secret, a large predator begins roaming the area.
Set in a futuristic Manhattan after a catastrophic flood called the Wash Out, sixteen-year-old Ren must race against a conspiracy to find freshwater springs and a cure for the deadly disease that has stricken her sister and many others in the Ward. Winner of the Green Earth Book Award. Finalist for the National Book Award.
On a field trip to the Nature Center, Three J leads his second-grade classmates on a mission to pick up as much trash as posssible after they find a bird caught in a discarded lunch bag. A Rookie Reader book. To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. Would you like to tell us about a lower price? They show no fear. They show no remorse. All they want is to see you dead. Mark Steele, a rising star within the shadowy counterterrorism Division, and his team of gritty operatives are ready to meet any task.
A simple escort mission to bring back besieged embassy staff is about to put all their training to the test.
Classic and new fiction for young adults and teens
Unbeknownst to them, they are gearing up against a highly contagious microbe that spreads like wildfire through the streets killing everyone in its path. It's not death they will learn to fear, but what comes in its wake Only a lone CDC virologist understands the dire implications of the outbreak. Can Steele and his comrades get him back to the U. Or is this mankind's last breath before the world rises again undead? The first installment of an epic series, End Time starts as a slow burn that turns into a breakneck paced struggle for survival. Greene does an excellent job of depicting individual stories within the larger scope of the global epidemic.
Follow this harrowing tale of horrific survival, duty, and love as the living dead bring the world to its knees. Read more Read less. Audible book Switch back and forth between reading the Kindle book and listening to the Audible book with Whispersync for Voice. Thousands of books are eligible, including current and former best sellers. Look for the Kindle MatchBook icon on print and Kindle book detail pages of qualifying books.
Print edition must be purchased new and sold by Amazon. Gifting of the Kindle edition at the Kindle MatchBook price is not available. Learn more about Kindle MatchBook. Books In This Series 4 Books. Page 1 of 1 Start Over Page 1 of 1.
- Guides to Juvenile and YA Eco-Fiction.
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- Origins: The Masterless Sword Book 1!
Kindle Cloud Reader Read instantly in your browser. Customers who bought this item also bought. Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1. Editorial Reviews Review "Talk about a killer debut! Daniel Greene has written one of the most thrilling post-apocalyptic books of But will the safe zone hold? If you like the zombie genre, this is a great addition.
Greene is meticulous in his detail, particularly in the panicked, close-quarters fighting that makes readers bite their nails in gleeful terror. For a complex, character-driven action thriller with enough gore and urban battles to satisfy hardcore zombie-genre fans, End Time is a bloody mess of fun from top to bottom.
Zombie books are a particular favourite of mine anyway, but this one blew me away. The plot of this book spirals quickly and leaves you gripped until the very last page. I cannot recommend highly enough! From the moment that I was dropped in the middle of the Congo, I was immersed. Greene lays out just enough scientific background, to make the spread of this disease feel realistic.
Grab your seat as characters encounter the deadly virus and the escalating terror that follows. See all Editorial Reviews. Product details File Size: March 9, Sold by: Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a customer review. Read reviews that mention end time zombie apocalypse daniel greene well written main character fast paced look forward action packed really enjoyed must read well developed looking forward enjoyed this book next book highly recommend well done recommend this book really liked zombie books mark steele.
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