Red Butterfly

Red Butterfly

Illustrator

Amy June Bates

Publisher

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Publication Year

2015

ISBN

9781481411097

Pages

392 pages

Genre

realism

Format

novel in verse

Item Type

Fiction

Annotation

A young orphaned girl in modern-day China discovers the meaning of family in this inspiring story told in verse, in the tradition of Inside Out and Back Again and Sold. Kara never met her birth mother. Abandoned as an infant, she was taken in by an American woman living in China. Now eleven, Kara spends most of her time in their apartment, wondering why she and Mama cannot leave the city of Tianjin and go live with Daddy in Montana. Mama tells Kara to be content with what she has -- but what if Kara secretly wants more? Told in lyrical, moving verse, Red Butterfly is the story of a girl learning to trust her own voice, discovering that love and family are limitless, and finding the wings she needs to reach new heights.

Grade Level

3-5, 6-8

Lexile Measure

830L

Diversity Topics

Family Relationships; Racial Diversity; Disability and Health; Adoption; Interracial; Physical disability; adopted child; adoptive mother; interracial/transracial adoption; interracial family; deformed hand

Main Character

female child

Race/Ethnicities

Chinese / White

Family Formation

adoptive mother

Awards

Cybils Awards, 2015, Nominee, Poetry
Washington State Book Award, 2016, Winner, Middle Reader
20 Years of Dia, 2016 Grades 6-8
Guide Book to Gift Books, 2016 Books for Middle Readers
Kirkus Book Review Stars, 2014
Notable Children's Books, 2016 Middle Readers

Keywords

Tianjin; China; illegal adoption; visa; foundling; abnormalities; new family; abandonment; truth

Diversity Impact

direct

Red Butterfly

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