Endangered by Eliot Schrefer

Title: Endangered
Author: Eliot Schrefer
Release date: October 1, 2012
Pages: 272

The compelling tale of a girl who must save a group of bonobos--and herself--from a violent coup.

The Congo is a dangerous place, even for people who are trying to do good.

When one girl has to follow her mother to her sanctuary for bonobos, she's not thrilled to be there. It's her mother's passion, and she'd rather have nothing to do with it. But when revolution breaks out and their sanctuary is attacked, she must rescue the bonobos and hide in the jungle. Together, they will fight to keep safe, to eat, and to survive.

Eliot Schrefer asks readers what safety means, how one sacrifices to help others, and what it means to be human in this new compelling adventure.

Endangered is the story of a young girl caught in the middle of a war in Congo with no one but a bonobo named Otto to help her survive.  It's told over the course of many months and spread over many towns in Congo.  There is very little dialogue or interaction with humans but the bonobos are really portrayed like people.  Each bonobo in the book is a character more than an animal.

Endangered can easily by read by younger teens and the animal aspect may appeal to them.  However there are some very graphic scenes that may not be suitable for younger readers.  I would recommend older middle school or older for this one.

Themes:

• war
• famine
• safety
• friendship
• humanity 
• family

Extra content:

Rather Be Reading's review: "As a whole, Endangered has the feel of those naturalistic but intense novels from my childhood (Lord of the Flies, Bridge to Terabithia, Julie & the Wolves) because it can be enjoyed by both sexes equally and forces great discussions, while beaming with this timeless quality."

Beauty and the Bookshelf's review: "For one, I wish there were more books like this, books that show other parts of the world that are less fortunate, books about fighting for what I want to fight for and work with so, so much: animals."