Kiki’s father is a doctor who travels to countries in crisis, providing medical aid to people in need. Soon after he leaves on his most recent trip, Kiki’s mother, in response to Kiki’s worry, explains that the “odds” of something bad happening to Kiki’s dad are small. Kiki begins fixating on the idea of odds: The odds may be small something will happen to her dad, but the odds of something happening to both her dad and her pet are even smaller. Kiki doesn’t much like the family dog, so she would happily sacrifice Mona for her dad’s safety—but what are the odds Mona will die? Everything escalates in Kiki’s mind—and in reality when her dad does, indeed, disappear. Kiki’s anxiety leads her to act out in ways that are once extraordinary and achingly believable in a story that acknowledges the dark thoughts of childhood with honesty. Author Marjolijn Hof maintains great tension and quiet drama before a resolution that offers relief and hope but is not unbelievably bright. (Ages 9–12)

Kiki’s father is a doctor who often travels to countries at war to provide medical assistance. When he is declared missing, Kiki’s mother tries to com fort her by telling her it is against the odds that her father is dead because most children have a living father. Kiki wonders if she could adjust the odds further if her pet dog were to die. Kiki knows no one with both a deceased father and pet. A stranger saves Kiki from making a tragic mistake, and she is relieved when her father finally returns home. 2010 USBBY Outstanding International Books List, Winner of the Golden Owl Juvenile Literature Prize, the Golden Owl Young Reader’s Prize, and the Golden Slate Pencil. pwc

Originally published as Een Kleine Kans in Dutch by Querido The Netherlands, in 2006. Translated by Johanna Henrica Prins & Johanna W.

Constantly worried about her father when he goes on humanitarian missions to dangerous places around the world, young Kiki's fears cannot be eased by her mother's comforting words, but when disaster does strike and her mother begins to panic, Kiki must find a way to get control of the situation.