I Lived on Butterfly Hill
Moving story of Chilean girl's escape from a dictatorship.
Kids say
Based on 4 reviews
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that I Lived on Butterfly Hill is the story of a sixth-grade girl who's sent from her home in Chile to the United States to escape the dangers of Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship and then returns two years later to discover her parents are missing. The story's drawn from the experience of author Marjorie Agosin, who was raised in Chile by Jewish parents and moved to the United States when Pinochet took over the country. Agosin won the American Library Association's 2015 Pura Bulpre Award for authors whose work best portrays, affirms and celebrates the Latino cultural experience. I Lived on Butterfly Hill features accounts of people "disappearing," Celeste's parents fleeing death threats, her father being imprisoned, and Celeste being homesick in a brand-new country. Over the course of the novel, Celeste the dreamer is transformed into a compassionate teen who wants to help rebuild her country.
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What's the Story?
Sixth-grader Celeste loves her home, family, school, and friends until her country, Chile, is taken over by the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. People suddenly vanish; her doctor parents, who run a clinic for the poor, are called "subversive" and must hide. She's sent thousands of miles away to an aunt in Maine, where she must adjust to a different climate, culture, and language. Two years later, she returns as a young teen to a tattered nation after the dictatorship has ended but the country is still dangerous. Will she ever see her parents again? Determined, she sets out to find them and help her country heal its devastating wounds.
Is It Any Good?
I LIVED ON BUTTERFLY HILL is a moving story that needs to be told. It's written with a poet's sensitivity and compassion for those who suffered under Pinochet's totalitarian regime. The novel centers on one family yet gives voice to a country striving to heal, to the idea of solidarity, and to the hopes and dreams of one teen who makes a difference.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the role of the media in influencing public opinion. How does a dictatorship influence news coverage to control public opinion? What purpose does that serve for a totalitarian government?
How does historical fiction help you understand historical events? Does having the story narrated by Celia help you understand her world and what she's going through?
Read some of Pablo Neruda's poetry aloud with a friend and pick a favorite. Then tell each other why you chose the poem you did.
Book Details
- Author: Marjorie Agosin
- Illustrator: Lee White
- Genre: Historical Fiction
- Topics: Friendship, Great Girl Role Models, History
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Atheneum
- Publication date: March 4, 2014
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 10 - 14
- Number of pages: 454
- Available on: Paperback, Nook, Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Award: ALA Best and Notable Books
- Last updated: May 14, 2020
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