Butterfly
Butterfly
Butterfly
Sonya Hartnett
In masterful prose, the author of SURRENDER tells a quiet but powerful tale about the shifting bonds and psychological perils of adolescence. (Ages 14 and up)Plum Coyle is on the edge of adolescence. Her fourteenth birthday is approaching, when her old life and her old body will fall away, and she will become graceful, powerful, and at ease. The strength of the objects she stores in a briefcase under her bed —a crystal lamb, a yoyo, an antique watch, a coin —will make sure of it. Over the next couple of weeks, Plum’s life will change. Her beautiful neighbor Maureen will begin to show Plum how she might fly. The older brothers she adores will court catastrophe in worlds that she barely knows exist. And her friends, her worst enemies, will tease and test, smelling weakness. They will try to lead her on and take her down. BUTTERFLY is a gripping, disquieting, beautifully observed coming-of-age novel by an acclaimed author at the top of her form.

Book Details

Genre: 

  • Fiction

Age Level: 

  • 12 and up
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Plum Coyle is getting ready to shrug off her old skin and put on a new one, getting to change from a child to an adult. But change is not all that she expected, and Plum is not sure that she can handle it. She is unsatisfied with her body shape, and can't stand the kids at school, who use every waking moment to find something bad about her. Why can't Plum be perfect like her beautiful neighbor, Maureen? Maureen, however, wants to help Plum become more confident in herself and to believe that, with the self-esteem, Plum can do anything she sets her mind to.

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Plum Coyle is an interesting and poetic fourteen-year-old girl, ready to leave behind her childhood and embrace adulthood.  Like many young teens, she is self-conscious and ready to explore the world on her own.

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