The Hope of Elephants

On her 12th birthday, Cassandra Hollens’s father is diagnosed with Li-Fraumeni syndrome, a mutated p53 gene that makes him susceptible to cancer (which “visits my dad/ in all the odd years/ of my life”). Cass is used to the routine that attends his cancer treatment—trips to the hospital, sanitizing, and homeschooling to avoid germs—but when she realizes she may have the same mutation, she grapples with whether to find out for sure. As her dad’s condition worsens, Cass looks into a local study of elephants, which have 20 sets of the cancer-fighting p53 gene, and seeks a way to get her dad to another World Series, which the family has attended eight times following an early bout of his illness. This compassionate verse novel by Hill (You’ll Find Me) holds space for Cass’s wide-ranging feelings, tracing through the tween’s blunt, realistic voice the way that baseball, close friendships, and the family’s connection to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, offer succor. An ongoing pro/con list reveals Cass’s relatable struggles and closely held dreams—to play baseball, travel the world—but also a stark truth: life can’t be boiled down to a list. Protagonists read as white; Cass’s best friend cues as Black. Ages 10–up. Agent: Elizabeth Harding, Curtis Brown. (Sept.)