For the Love of Strangers

Gr 6—9—Russian mythology and modern-day themes intersect in this overly earnest, yet readable novel. Ten years ago, Darya and her baby brother were adopted from a Russian orphanage. Helping strangers is instilled in her at an early age: her adoptive mother, Tee-tee, runs a safe house for victims of domestic abuse, and Darya frequently cares for battered women and frightened children. But the 16-year-old begins to have encounters with the whitetail deer that live around her property, and she thinks that they also are asking for her help. Tee-tee finds the deer to be a nuisance, but Darya can't resist their call. She has always felt like an outsider, but now she must decide whether she will completely separate herself by taking on the hunters as well as her adoptive mother. While the deer's connection to Darya is poetic and the mythological detail is beautifully inserted, it is the safe house and its residents that are the most compelling part of the book. The story moves along at a good pace, and reluctant readers will find this to be a book they can take in. The simple black-and-white illustrations accentuate the magical realism. However, in many places the story feels overwritten with forced imagery. For example, Darya is a well-drawn character, and but others, such as Tee-tee, are too caricaturish. A fine first effort, but an additional purchase.—Heather M. Campbell, formerly at Philip S. Miller Library, Castle Rock, CO