My Fate According to the Butterfly by Gail D. Villanueva

While Greg’s positive about the move, he’s not completely uncaring about Rowley’s action. Left with only enough inheritance to patch and repair the exterior of the house-and with the school’s dismal standardized test scores as a final straw-Greg’s mom steers the family toward moving, opening up house-hunting and house-selling storylines (and devastating loyal Rowley, who doesn’t want to lose his best friend).

Once the professionals are brought in, the problems keep getting worse: angry neighbors, terrifying problems in walls, and-most serious-civil permitting issues that put the kibosh on what work’s been done. Before bringing in the construction crew, the Heffleys attempt to do minor maintenance and repairs themselves-during which Greg fails at the work in various slapstick scenes. Greg’s mom calls a family meeting to determine what to do with their share, proposing home improvements and then overruling the family’s cartoonish wish lists and instead pushing for an addition to the kitchen. When Great Aunt Reba dies, she leaves some money to the family. The Heffley family’s house undergoes a disastrous attempt at home improvement. 3, details shared matter-of-factly and with love. 2, while her mother’s boyfriend is Dad No. Sab’s father is now in a same-sex relationship with a man Sab considers Dad No.

The text is interlaced with Tagalog phrases and words, especially cultural honorifics. The detailed writing offers a true look at life in Manila, with alluring descriptions of Filipino foods and landscape. Tough topics-the brutal war on drugs in the Philippines, family reconciliation, and recovery-are addressed, but warmth and humor, often in the vehicle of Sab’s pet duck, bring lightness to Sab’s story. Villanueva’s debut is a beautiful #ownvoices middle-grade novel. Spying on her sister’s journalism work and adventuring across Manila, Sab discovers family secrets that change her forever. Sab must uncover the truth behind the broken relationship between her college-age sister, Ate Nadine, and their father. Determined to make the most of her last days, she convinces her American best friend, Pepper, a white girl, to help her reunite her family. So, when she sees the Butterfly, a giant black omen of death, she knows she only has a week left to live. Ten-year-old Filipina Sabrina “Sab” Dulce believes all the superstitions her artist dad used to tell her before he and Mom split up. A superstitious girl tries to fix her broken family before death catches her.

My Fate According to the Butterfly by Gail D. Villanueva