Endangered (review)

Fourteen-year-old Sophie is temporarily living with her mother, who runs a protected bonobo sanctuary in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Sophie's relationship to the apes is governed more by her heart than her head, and her heedless decision to buy an abused bonobo from an impoverished and unscrupulous dealer has grave consequences when war comes to their region. Mom is away at a remote release site when the rebels take Kinshasa, and Sophie turns down the opportunity to be evacuated in order to stay with her new charge, Otto. The rebels attack the sanctuary buildings, slaughtering most of the staff, but Sophie makes her way deep into the forested area behind the electrified fence and learns to live the bonobo lifestyle. There's no permanent security here either once the power goes out, so Sophie and Otto hit the rebel-infested road, making their way toward the release site where she hopes to find her mother and protection. While there's a lot of luck required to get Sophie to her happy ending, the carefully orchestrated details of her perilous trek and of the resilient ape community make her journey compelling. Sophie herself is one resourceful girl, relying on her knowledge of bonobo behavior and survival skills to make it to the release site alive. The fact that both her future and those of the bonobos hang in the balance doubles the stakes in this taut drama.