Kat, a strong-willed teenager, sees the escalation of armed conflict in real time as tanks begin rolling into town, broadcast on news channels. She heads to a community shelter as bombs start to drop. Schools close, supplies are rationed, and citizens depart by choice or force. Just as Kat’s family is attempting to leave, soldiers abduct her father. Kat stays behind in hopes of saving him instead of following her mother and sister to safety. Falling into the stoic, strained rhythms of life under siege, she watches soldiers pillage homes, neighbors struggle to survive, and buildings burn. Violence and destruction are unpredictable and ubiquitous, yet even children must press on. The story’s nonspecific setting demands that readers acknowledge just how quickly these actions could unfold anywhere. Kat’s eventual happy ending is a welcome, if implausible, narrative relief, but even she admits “when I close my eyes I’m often back in the city with bangs and explosions and things shaking.” Kat has pale skin and dark hair; most of the city’s residents are pale-skinned. Rigano’s paneled illustrations buzz with detailed comic-book intensity, skillfully immersing readers in Kat’s reality.
