★ 09/09/2024

Talented artist and aspiring scientist Sofiya, 12, narrates Lucyk-Berger’s adroit debut, set in 2014 Sevastopol on the Crimean Peninsula. Since her Russian mother left for Moscow three years earlier, Sofiya has devoted herself to helping her Ukrainian father Tato, the director of the dolphinarium, in training and caring for the dolphins. She’s simultaneously intellectually and socially engaged at her school, where Russian and Ukrainian students easily switch between the two languages. When her contentious relationship with Russian Ilya causes them to be paired on a project to raise funds for the dolphinarium, Sofiya begins learning about their interwoven past, and that her beloved sea mammals once served as “military marine systems”—i.e., spies—under the Soviet regime. If the Soviets retake Crimea—as they seem poised to do—the creatures will be forced into service again; Sofiya is determined to keep that from happening. The rich, detailed descriptions of Sofiya’s experience training the mammals, which Lucyk-Berger deftly blends with Ukrainian political history, are captivating and Sofiya’s deep bond with them suffuses this affecting story of a preteen grappling with her understanding of her own Ukrainian Russian identity and the loss of her mother. Ages 8–12. (Dec.)