My Fate According to the Butterfly
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- $5.99
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
* "Villanueva's debut is a beautiful #ownvoices middle-grade novel. Tough topics are addressed, but warmth and humor... bring lightness to Sab's story. This immersive novel bursts with life." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred reviewWhen superstitious Sab sees a giant black butterfly, an omen of death, she knows that she's doomed! According to legend, she has one week before her fate catches up with her -- on her 11th birthday. With her time running out, all she wants is to celebrate her birthday with her entire family. But her sister, Ate Nadine, stopped speaking to their father one year ago, and Sab doesn't even know why.If Sab's going to get Ate Nadine and their father to reconcile, she'll have to overcome her fears -- of her sister's anger, of leaving the bubble of her sheltered community, of her upcoming doom -- and figure out the cause of their rift.So Sab and her best friend Pepper start spying on Nadine and digging into their family's past to determine why, exactly, Nadine won't speak to their father. But Sab's adventures across Manila reveal truths about her family more difficult -- and dangerous -- than she ever anticipated.Was the Butterfly right? Perhaps Sab is doomed after all!
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Superstitious Sab, a 10-year-old Filipina girl, has always believed her father's story that a visit from a black butterfly is a harbinger of personal or familial doom. And when the otherworldly butterfly lands on her prized locket one week before her birthday, she begins preparing for her inevitable death. With only a week left to live, Sab enlists the help of her American best friend to mend the rift between her father and her sister, Ate Nadine, who have been estranged since her father's mysterious stay in a hospital. Chaperoned by Nadine, Sab's quest for knowledge about her dad brings her deep into Manila, where she learns difficult truths about him and the world in which she lives, such as the government's brutal crackdown on drug dealers. Debut author Villanueva deftly incorporates a touch of the magical alongside vibrant details about contemporary Filipino life (jeepneys, cheese-flavored ice cream) and a universal story about growing up, reconciliation, and family. Ages 8 12.