AGAINST THE ODDS

Kiki has a lot to worry about: Her father is a doctor who travels to war zones. So far he has always returned safely, but even that is cause for concern, because his luck might not hold. He could become seriously ill or have an accident. Worst of all, he could be wounded or killed. Now he is off to yet another hot spot, and although Kiki tries to find ways to lower the odds for disaster, nothing she does, no matter how bizarre, can change the outcome. Hof reaches adeptly into Kiki’s mind and scattered emotions, allowing her to tell her own story in simple, childlike language as she tries to comprehend and interpret the sequence of events and the reactions of her family and friends. Her plight will resonate with young readers whose parents must be away from home for any reason and with those who worry anyway. It is not a reassuring tale, however—“knowing everything,” as Kiki wants to do, rarely is—and it should, perhaps, be read with a trusted adult. (Fiction. 10-12)