November 19

‘Butterflies’ by Susanne Gervay

butterflies“Hairy ripples cover her. Her bald head snarls with threatening teeth like a hyena. It’s the beast. Too terrible. The beast.”

Butterflies’ by Susanne Gervay is a book about a seventeen year old, Katherine, who lives in Sydney Australia. She was severely burnt as a child, pushed into a pit of burning chemicals. She is still suffering with the scarring and her flaws.

This book is an insight into the lives of burn victims. It tells us how they suffer growing up and the trouble they go through to try to make themselves like other people.

Katherine has troubles at school with everyone and mainly the boys. She feels like everyone laughs at her because of her burns. She has liked this one boy for a really long time but he is really rude to her. She then realises that there are more people out there who accept her for who she is. She feels as though she needs so many more operations to become ‘normal’. Throughout the story she learns to live with her appearance with help from her friends, family and doctors.

I would recommend this book to teenagers who enjoy a bit of romance but mainly a heart warming true story. This is because people who read this will receive a very strong message that can relate to teenagers. Teenagers can learn that some people have it worse than themselves and to be more confident because of this. This is a good read and I would rate it a 3 star, mainly because the story line is very confusing. After a while it becomes easier to understand. Although, I did very much enjoy this story because I learned a very important lesson, acceptance, I learned to accept people for who they are. Overall this is an average book with a great message.
 
Emily, Year 9

……………

Meet Katherine.  “They engulfed her small arms and she fell into the pyre of garden refuse and chemical flames”.

Katherine is a young, brave and heroic schoolgirl who just wants to be like everyone else. She has more to her than everyone thinks. Katherine was seriously burnt at three years of age and is going through some tough times at home in Sydney, Australia. Katherine, who is now 18, feels like she is being judged wherever she goes and being held back from doing what she loves because of her burns. Katherine has to ask herself a few questions on the way. ‘Do I want to go to the school dance?’ ‘Is there a dress that will cover my burns?’ ‘Will everyone judge me?’ All Katherine wanted was for her scars to disappear, the boys at her school to be nice to her and to wear whatever she wants without being embarrassed and self-conscious about her appearance. One of the many issues Katherine faces is her father wanting to build up his relationship with Katherine, her sister and her mother again after abandoning them. The main characters of this book are the brave schoolgirl Katherine, her loving sister Rachel, her very busy mother and her supportive best friend Jessie.

‘Butterflies’ is a compelling story that always keeps you on the edge of your seat. This book is filled with funny, exciting and wonderful moments as well as captivating, inspirational and emotion filled moments.

I like this book because it is very inspirational and there was a lot of expressive language, which made it easy to read at most parts and kept you on the edge of your seat. Every time you turn the page there is another drama or decision that Katherine has to make. I recommend ‘Butterflies’ to young teenage girls or anyone who loves a captivating and inspirational story. I rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars, as it is a very good read.

Madeline L. Year 9

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Posted November 19, 2014 by marjk in category Love stories, Realistic fiction, Student Reviews

About the Author

Teacher-librarian at Aquinas College, Southport, Gold Coast, Australia

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