The Boy with the Butterfly Mind

Starred review from September 1, 2019
Two British preteens grapple with their parents' divorces--and sharing a home. In Scotland, 11-year-old Elin lives with her divorced mother and her mother's boyfriend, Paul. She believes that if she can be her father's "Perfect Princess," he'll be persuaded to return. In England, Jamie, also 11, lives with his divorced mother and her boyfriend, Chris, whom he does not get along with. Due to ADHD, he's impulsive, forgetful, and never perfect. Instead of relocating to the U.S. with his mom and Chris and at his mother's urging, Jamie moves in with his dad. After establishing each protagonist's background through alternating first-person chapters, Williamson reveals that Jamie's father is Paul. As Elin and Jamie adjust to living and going to school together, their initial spats turn to all-out war. The harder Elin schemes to break up the family, the harder Jamie tries to keep the peace, driving the plot. Parental arguments, financial strain, and other dynamics add to the tension, and a butterfly motif unites the story. When the kids finally realize the pain they share, they join forces to become a blended family in an encouraging ending. Although Elin and Jamie are vastly different, the author deftly shows the trauma of divorce on children. Most characters are assumed white; Paul is ethnically Chinese, and Jamie is implied biracial (Chinese/white). An achingly realistic, yet hopeful, depiction of divorce. (Fiction. 8-12)

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September 30, 2019
In this family drama, Williamson (The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle) alternates between two 12-year-old protagonists in Glasgow who share a desperate wish to mend their broken families. Elin wants to be perfect, hoping that her father will realize how much he misses her and move back in. Underneath her smooth facade, though, she seethes with anger toward most everyone in her life: her mother’s boyfriend, Paul; her new stepsister; and Jamie, Paul’s “monster” son. Jamie just wants people, and especially Elin, to like him, but he has ADHD and sometimes acts in erratic and occasionally explosive ways. Elin and Jamie’s increasingly destructive behavior ramps up the story’s tension and suspense, while their misguided beliefs that they can “fix” their parents’ relationships will likely resonate with some readers. Unfortunately, Elin’s spite grows tiresome, and her moment of reckoning and sudden enlightenment, while welcome, lead to an implausible happily-ever-after ending. Without a strong focus on endearingly earnest Jamie and his “butterfly mind,” Williamson’s relevant themes of forgiveness, empathy, and acceptance have a lesser impact. Ages 11–13.

November 1, 2019

Gr 4-6-Elin and Jamie, the two narrators in this absorbing novel, couldn't be more different. Elin strives to be perfect under the mistaken belief that it will prompt her father to return to the family. Her obsessive behavior does nothing to endear her to her peers, and she's quite lonely. Jamie is convinced his ADHD caused not only his parents' marriage ending, but also the tension between his mom and her new boyfriend. He's looking forward to moving to America with them and making a new start. Unfortunately, Jamie learns that his mother and her boyfriend need a new start in America without him. He's sent to live with his father, his live-in girlfriend, and her daughter-Elin. Jamie's loud, messy, distracted ways cause issues with Elin and her mother. Elin sees the tension Jamie's presence is causing between her mom and Jamie's dad so she hatches a horrifying plan to rid both of them from her life. Jamie is the more sympathetic of the narrators. He's also achingly, naively honest, though the severity of his ADHD makes his company trying. Elin is less sympathetic as her obsession causes her to lie and manipulate. Middle school dynamics are realistically portrayed as are most family dynamics. VERDICT A fine addition that may prompt discussion and help build empathy among thoughtful readers.-Brenda Kahn, Tenakill Middle School, Closter, NJ

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2019
Grades 5-8 Adolescence is hard for any kid, but for Elin it becomes intolerable after mixing with a divorce, a move, and an unexpected new sibling. Elin's father has remarried and had a child, leaving her with her mother and Paul?Mom's new boyfriend, who has recently moved in with them. Things get complicated when Paul's ex-wife dumps their son Jamie, who has severe ADHD, on Elin's family and skedaddles to America. Jamie's arrival upsets Elin's attempts to be the perfect child in order to reunite her parents. Instead, she sets out to sabotage any hope Jamie has of fitting in or having a normal life with them. In alternating chapters, Elin and Jamie present first-person views of their tumultuous lives, as they gradually build to a point of breaking?or, perhaps, repair. Williamson's character-driven novel presents an honest, introspective portrayal of the adolescent psyche amidst multiple family upheavals, and it is both heartbreaking and hopeful. Despite Briticisms, American readers will be drawn into the lives of Elin and Jamie.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)