The Girl Who Threw Butterflies

by Mick Cochrane

Book Overview

For an eighth grader, Molly Williams has more than her fair share of problems. Her father has just died in a car accident, and her mother has become a withdrawn, quiet version of herself. Molly... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 037585682X
• ISBN13: 9780375856822
• Release Date: February 2009
• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Length: 177 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.4" x 8.6"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Cochrane Hits It Out Of The Park With New Release

Mick Cochrane has given readers young and old a book that will transcend all backgrounds and interests. THE GIRL WHO THREW BUTTERFLIES gives us a story that shows how important it is to follow your heart and fulfil your dreams, inspite of the odds against you. Cochrane also gives us a look at a world that many can relate to: a family coping with death, self-discovery and the true meaning of life. This is a book that will resonate with sports lovers and non-sports lovers alike. A real triumph.

Butterflies and Moths

The Girl Who Threw Butterflies Excellent book for almost any reader - outstanding for young girls.

A Girl on the Boys' Baseball Team, and a Whole Lot More

I'm not a big baseball fan, but I was drawn in to this book and the story of both a girl's decision to go out for the boys baseball team, and the bond between her and her deceased father. What could have been way too much of a "message" book was actually quite touching as Molly makes the decision completely on her own (her mother doesn't find out until much later), though she does get a little Zen coaching from her quirky best friend. Cochrane includes bits of baseball history and trivia, such as that female baseball player Jackie Mitchell struck out Babe Ruth, which will appeal to baseball fans, male and female. Molly's relationship with her mom, like many girls her age, is tumultuous, yet grows so by the end of the book each of them understand each other a little better. Molly's a curious, dedicated young woman, and Cochrane lets her story, and her interest in baseball, unfold gradually. She shows a true love of and interest in the game; there were times when I wondered whether she was simply pursuing it to maintain a connection with her father, but she goes beyond what they had, while still channeling him. A moving, at times bittersweet book that will have you cheering on Molly and her knuckleballs.

Beautiful

Molly's grief, determination, confusion and loneliness after the death of her father are so real and beautifully drawn. For me, this is a new favorite.

Authentic Adolescence

Mick Cochrane's The Girl Who Threw Butterflies is that rare novel, a work for young adults that does not pander to its audience and is therefore a wonderful read for adults. After the death of the father who shared with her a love of baseball, Molly Williams, an eighth-grader with a mean knuckleball, decides to try out for the boys' baseball team. Cochrane handles her loss, uncertainty, and redemptive determination with uncommon sensitivity in this gentle book that gives the reader a solid picture of the joys and pains of early adolescence. Well done.