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When her beloved Grammy Claire passes away, Tara Doucet feels like her own life has ended.  The 12-year-old can't imagine going on without her warm, vibrant grandma.  Especially when everything else around her seems to be falling apart as well.  The Doucets may be descended from one of the oldest families in Louisiana's New Iberia Parish, but their distinguished genealogy isn't helping them now—their big, old plantation home is crumbling to ruins; Mamma's taken to her bed, distancing herself like she always does; Daddy ran off a long time ago; and Tara and her 17-year-old sister Riley are at each other's throats.  Things are spinning out of control faster than Tara can say "grief."  She needs her Grammy Claire so desperately it hurts.

Then, come the butterflies.  Tara knows it's crazy to believe the beautiful creatures can understand her, that they carry secret messages from her dead grandmother.  But she does.  When a  mysterious package arrives for her from Grammy Claire, Tara's even more convinced the butterflies are trying to tell her something.  Something important.  As Tara follows the clues Grammy Claire has left her, she embarks on a remarkable journey.  It's a wild adventure that will take the preteen to the edge of the world—and change her life forever.

If you've been paying attention, you know I have a connection to Louisiana that draws me over and over again to books about that part of the U.S.  From its murky bayous to its creepy cemeteries to its vibrant celebrations of life, there's just something about The Pelican State that makes it a vivid book setting (bland state nickname notwithstanding).  And nowhere does the region come more to life (for me, anyway) than in the books of middle grade author Kimberley Griffiths Little.  Her bayou novels—which are not really a series, more like loosely interconnected stories—are family dramas set against this lush, intriguing back drop.  The setting becomes a character, as charming and complex as any of Little's others.  This is my favorite part about Little's books, but she also creates intricate plots, studded with enough (but not too much) magical realism to keep things interesting.  Her stories are warm, imaginative and well-crafted.  I *might* be a little bit of a fan girl :)

When the Butterflies Came, Little's newest, didn't, however, win my undying love like its predecessors, The Healing Spell and Circle of Secrets, did.  Why?  Mostly because of the ending.  Without being too spoiler-y (I hope), let me just say that something's revealed about one of the characters that totally changed my opinion of them.  And soured me on the book in general.  I'm kind of picky that way.  Despite my misgivings, though, I did enjoy the book overall.  Annoying ending or not, Little just writes books that speak to my heart.  When it comes to this author (I *never* name drop, but we do happen to be IRL friends), a fan girl I am and a fan girl I will always be.

P.S.  I'm not a huge lover of book trailers, but this one's kind of creepy-fun:

(Readalikes:  The Healing Spell and Circle of Secrets by Kimberley Griffiths Little)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

Top Ten Favorite Books Set in the American South

1.  Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell—This one's pretty much a no-brainer.  I loved the book the first time I read it, but it enchanted me even more after I'd visited Atlanta.  Touring the Margaret Mitchell House museum was one of my favorite parts of the trip.

2.  The Help by Kathryn Stockett—I know this one's gotten some flack for various reasons, but I really enjoyed it, both in book and movie form.  

3.  Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts—Another story (this one's about a pregnant teenager in Oklahoma, who's trying to rebuild her life after being abandoned by her boyfriend) that charmed me as a book and as a movie.

4.  Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler—As heartbreaking as this story about a young white girl in 1940s Kentucky who falls in love with a black man is, it really spoke to me.  A word of advice:  keep the Kleenex handy.

5.  To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee—Another no-brainer.  It's a classic for a reason, y'all.  

6.  The Temperance Brennan novels by Kathy Reichs—I talk quite a bit about this series, which features a forensic anthropologist who solves murders both in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Toronto, Canada.  

7.  Circle of Secrets by Kimberley Griffiths Little—Kimberley (she's my IRL friend, so I can use her first name—we're friendly  like that) has written several interconnecting, middle grade novels that take place "deep in the heart" of the Lousiana bayou.  I'm not sure which book is my favorite, but I love both Circle of Secrets and The Healing Spell.

8.  Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys—Another atmospheric novel set in New Orleans.  This one's teeming with colorful characters, vivid scenery and mystery.  It's a rich, absorbing read that kept me riveted from its first word to its last.

9.  The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom—Although this novel's absolutely heart-wrenching, it's also absorbing and affecting.

10.  Tomorrow River by Lesley Kagen—I love this author and Tomorrow River, a Southern novel about family and friendship, is one of my favorites.

How about you?  What's your favorite Southern novel?  I know there are tons I haven't read yet—which would you recommend?  

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On the day Cassie Romano entered the world, her hometown disappeared beneath two hundred feet of water.  It wasn't a natural disaster that drowned Old Lower Grange, but a deliberate move intended to create a dam. The town's residents cheered the project, moving themselves to a nearby location (called New Lower Grange, naturally) with little protest.  Now, twelve years later, no one seems to care a lick about the ghost town sitting at the bottom of the lake.  No one but Cassie, who's obsessed with a place she's never even laid eyes on before.  The ruins haunt her, drawing her to them, even though she's been told all her life to stay away from that part of the lake.  

When Cassie decides to explore Old Lower Grange on her own, she realizes just how dangerous the prospect really is.  Not only is the water deeper than it seems, but trespassing there is against town law.  If she's caught, she'll be in the worst trouble of her life.  And, yet, Cassie knows there's a mystery buried under all that water.  With the help of her friend Liam Price, Cassie's determined to find out the secrets of Old Lower Grange.  There's only one thing she knows for certain:  some people will do anything to keep them hidden.  

Below, a new middle grade novel by Australian author Meg McKinlay, tells an intriguing story about a girl whose desperate need for connection propels her on an exciting, life-changing search for answers.  With its eerie setting, quick-paced storyline and sympathetic characters, the book's an enjoyable, satisfying adventure.

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:  

for brief, mild language and intense situations

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of Below from the generous folks at Candlewick Press.  Thank you!

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For the past eleven years, 14-year-old Raphael Fernández has spent his days picking through trash at the Behala dumpsite.  It's a stinky, smelly job.  A dangerous one, too.  If Raphael places his bare foot in the wrong spot, he could sink under the mounds of garbage and suffocate.  Or step on a dirty needle.  Or burst open a bag of stuppa (poop).  It's all happened to other trash boys.  Given a choice, Raphael would leave the reeking trash heaps far, far behind.  But he doesn't, so day after day, he crawls through piles of refuse, hoping to find something—plastic, metal, glass, clean paper, rubber, etc.—that can be traded for cash, which he can use to buy food for himself and his family.  

Then, one ordinary day, Raphael does find something.  Something that's not only mysterious, but also valuable.  So valuable, in fact, that the police are going to great lengths to find it.  Raphael knows he should turn over his find, but he can't quite make himself part with it.  If he can solve the treasure's riddles, he can get enough money to free himself, his family and his friends from a lifetime of trudging through garbage just to survive.  With the police on his trail, Raphael doesn't have much time, but he has to try.  It's the only chance he'll ever have to rise out of the desperate poverty that drags him down.  Racing against time and imminent capture, Raphael and two of his comrades embark on a frantic journey to find a treasure that can save them all.  If only they can survive long enough to enjoy it.

Although the squalor Andy Mulligan describes in his upper middle grade novel, Trash, seems like pure fiction, it's not.  It's a scene the author witnesses for himself every day.  Behala, itself, is a made-up dumpsite, but it's based on a real one in Manila, which sits next to the school where Mulligan teaches.  Makeshift homes really do rim the garbage dump.  Their occupants, says the writer, "really aren't extras in a movie, these people really are living there forever, sorting out the stuff that I put down my rubbish chute."  It's unfathomable, but reality for many in The Philippines and other countries in the developing world.  The book's thrilling plot and colorful characters, though, came straight out of Mulligan's imagination.  Those elements, coupled with the dramatic setting, make for an intense, exciting story that tugs at the heartstrings while celebrating courage and hope.  It's not an easy read, but it is a compelling and affecting one.  About a month has passed since I finished Trash and let me tell you, Raphael and his buddies are still very much on my mind.  That's how deep of an impression this novel makes.  Two words:  Read it.

But, first, watch this:

    

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of The Rent Collector by Camron Wright)

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