The Butterfly Clues

Ellison, K. (2012). The butterfly clues. NY: Egmont USA. Penelope “Lo” Marin is the protagonist in The Butterfly Clues. In the novel, Lo’s coping with her brother Oren’s death results in her hobby collecting of souvenirs and trinkets becoming an obsession. Lo discovers a butterfly pendant having been stolen from the house of another recent murder, and sets out to piece the puzzle together and solve the mystery of what would could be the answers to her brother’s death. The novel ends with Lo being kidnapped by Jones, but saved by Flynt and Officer Gardner. Lo solves both Sapphire’s and Oren’s murders and is accepted by her father, is taken to prom by Flynt where she defends herself against the popular girls, and Lo also sees herself as beautiful. I think the intended audience of The Butterfly Clues might be for ages 14 to 17. Recommendations for follow up reading include Dead to You by Lisa McMann, The Name of the Stars by Maureen Johnson, Out of Easy by Ruta Sepetys, and I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga. I think the The Butterfly Effect meets the physical developmental criteria because Lo doesn’t see herself as a pretty attractive woman, and meets the mental developmental criteria because Lo accepts what others think of her. I also think The Butterfly Clues meets the social developmental criteria because Lo is bullied in school, doesn’t stand up for herself, doesn’t have many friends, and does not receive respect or acceptance from her father, and is considered an outcast by most everyone until at the end of the novel.