Saving Sorya

At twelve, Chang comes across poachers hunting bears in the rainforest close to her family's home in Vietnam. Determined to protect the animals, she sets out to become a wildlife conservationist, teaching herself wilderness survival and recording her experiences in a field notebook.

Many adults doubt she can do the work. They question whether she is too young, too small, or too fluent in English, a language often regarded as the tongue of science. Chang proves them wrong and is finally accepted as a volunteer at a rescue center.

Her hardest test comes when she must release Sorya, a sun bear she raised from infancy, back into the forest where she truly belongs. Although the two come from different species, Sorya is Chang's closest friend, and saying goodbye is painful even when it is the right choice. This middle grade graphic novel is based closely on the author's own experiences.