Chance and the Butterfly

Carol L. MacKay is a children’s librarian living in Bawlf, Alberta.

Grade 3 is a tremendous challenge for Chance. And life, in general, has
been one tussle after another. Living in a new foster home with an
unfriendly foster brother, and attending a new school where even his
teacher doesn’t understand him, Chance finds it difficult to get
excited about anything. His learning disability only helps to alienate
him further from others. One thing that does interest Chance, though, is
a caterpillar-to-butterfly science experiment that his class is
conducting. He can’t wait to see the butterflies emerge from their
chrysalides. Wanting so much to be part of this miraculous life
transformation, Chance steals a caterpillar for his own and finds
himself in a desperate struggle to keep the tiny creature alive.

Author Maggie de Vries gets inside the mind of a confused and hurt
young boy in this well-crafted, true-to-life story. Chance isn’t a
perfect protagonist. He lies and steals, and does a lot of things
wrong—as do some of the people around him. But readers will want
everything to work out for Chance. De Vries does not provide quick-fix
solutions to his problems; she does, however, show that small steps
towards small victories can make a big difference. Highly recommended.