How to Befriend a Butterfly 06/08/20
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making
This is the story of twelve-year-old September, whose soldier father is away and whose loving mother is often absent. September relishes books and stories, and longs for an adventure like those she reads about. When the Green Wind turns up one day and takes her away to Fairyland, September meets a friendly Wyverary (not unlike a dragon…) and then travels in search of the evil Marquess, who has snatched Fairyland from its true, kind ruler.
This is an unusual and magical novel, written in a style redolent of nineteenth-century fairytale. The story constantly references themes from children’s classics, particularly Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan and the Narnia books. Readers will be enchanted by Valente's beguiling prose and immersed in the distinctive Fairyland world she creates.