Endangered

Sophie is a 14-year-old girl who left Congo at age eight to live with her father in Miami, Florida. She is half-white and is the only African in her American school. Each summer, Sophie returns to Congo to spend time with her mother, Florence, and while there, she buys numerous notebooks that she takes back to school and sells to her friends and classmates. This allows her to share her culture and heritage with her peers in a positive way. Sophie has many freckles on her face, an aspect that marks her as a foreigner. Sophie’s physical appearance helps her to navigate the dangers of Congo, as her African heritage makes her a bigger target than her American heritage. Sophie is also very smart and adaptable. She knows three languages—English, French, and Lingala—and easily fits into new situations and contexts by analyzing her surroundings and changing her behavior accordingly.

Sophie is a dynamic character because the novel’s plot centers primarily on her character development as she overcomes many challenges. At the novel’s beginning, Sophie is immature and makes childish decisions. For example, Sophie buys Otto thinking that she is acting like her mother would by saving an endangered animal, when in reality, her purchase actually reignites the infant bonobo trade.