I Lived on Butterfly Hill

Aneleven-year-old’sworldisupendedbypoliticalturmoilinthissearingnovelfromanaward-winningpoet,basedontrueeventsinChile.CelesteMarconiisadreamer.ShelivespeacefullyamongfriendsandneighborsandfamilyintheidyllictownofValparaiso,Chile—untilthetimecomeswhenevenCeleste,withherheadintheclouds,can’tdenythepoliticalunrestthatissweepingthroughthecountry.Warshipsarespottedintheharborandschoolmatesdisappearfromclasswithoutaword.Celestedoesn’tquiteknowwhatishappening,butonethingisclear:nooneissafe,notanymore.Thecountryhasbeentakenoverbyagovernmentthatdeclaresartists,protestors,andanyonewhohelpstheneedytobeconsidered“subversive”anddangeroustoChile’sfuture.SoCeleste’sparents—hereducated,generous,kindparents—mustgointohidingbeforethey,too,“disappear.”Toprotecttheirdaughter,theysendhertoAmerica.AsCelesteadaptstohernewlifeinMaine,sheneverstopsdreamingofChile.Butevenafterdemocracyisrestoredtoherhomecountry,questionsremain:Willherparentsreemergefromhiding?Willsheeverbetrulysafeagain?Accentedwithinteriorartwork,steepedinthehistoryofPinochet’scatastrophictakeoverofChile,andbasedonmanytrueevents,thismulticulturalodetothepowerofrevolution,words,andloveisbothindeliblybraveandheartwrenchinglygraceful.,