“A heartbreaking, finger-gnawing, and yet ultimately hopeful novel by the amazing Rene Denfeld.” —Margaret Atwood, via Twitter After captivating readers in The Child Finder, Naomi—the investigator with an uncanny ability for finding missing children—returns, trading snow-covered woods for dark, gritty streets on the search for her missing sister in a city where young, homeless girls have been going missing and turning up dead. From the highly praised author of The Child Finder and The Enchanted comes The Butterfly Girl, a riveting novel that ripples with truth, exploring the depths of love and sacrifice in the face of a past that cannot be left dead and buried. A year ago, Naomi, the investigator with an uncanny ability for finding missing children, made a promise that she would not take another case until she finds the younger sister who has been missing for years. Naomi has no picture, not even a name. All she has is a vague memory of a strawberry field at night, black dirt under her bare feet as she ran for her life. The search takes her to Portland, Oregon, where scores of homeless children wander the streets like ghosts, searching for money, food, and companionship. The sharp-eyed investigator soon discovers that young girls have been going missing for months, many later found in the dirty waters of the river. Though she does not want to get involved, Naomi is unable to resist the pull of children in need—and the fear she sees in the eyes of a twelve-year old girl named Celia. Running from an abusive stepfather and an addict mother, Celia has nothing but hope in the butterflies—her guides and guardians on the dangerous streets. She sees them all around her, tiny iridescent wisps of hope that soften the edges of this hard world and illuminate a cherished memory from her childhood—the Butterfly Museum, a place where everything is safe and nothing can hurt her. As danger creeps closer, Naomi and Celia find echoes of themselves in one another, forcing them each to consider the question: Can you still be lost even when you’ve been found? But will they find the answer too late?

Missy is really excited to start second grade. While enjoying the first day's walk to school, a lovely butterfly suddenly swoops down and lands upon her hair-bow. She shoos him off, but he comes back to circle around several times. Every day after that, Mr. Flutterby Butterfly shows up with more and more of his friends, until Missy is fed up with all the fluttering insects pestering her. Then her mom has an idea for Missy to try which gets rid of them for the whole weekend. Now Missy is so lonely that she just wants them to come back, but she can't find them anywhere. Finally she has a brainstorm, tries it only to find it doesn't work - or so she thinks - until the schoolchildren show her otherwise.

Racheal Baughan is 25 and lives in Crawley, west Sussex. She had recently started her own modelling agency, True Model Media, for which she will only take on girls of healthy body weight, and which she also uses as a platform to campaign against the modelling industry's promotion of underweight models.

“It’s ‘Deliverance’ encased in ice… Denfeld’s novel is indeed loaded with suspense, its resonance comes from its surprising tilt towards storytelling restraint, a rarity in this typical crackling genre. Elegiac, informative and disquieting. . . . The novel gallops to a suitably heart-racing finish.” — New York Times Book Review A haunting, richly atmospheric, and deeply suspenseful novel from the acclaimed author of The Enchanted about an investigator who must use her unique insights to find a missing little girl. Three years ago, Madison Culver disappeared when her family was choosing a Christmas tree in Oregon’s Skookum National Forest. She would be eight-years-old now—if she has survived. Desperate to find their beloved daughter, certain someone took her, the Culvers turn to Naomi, a private investigator with an uncanny talent for locating the lost and missing. Known to the police and a select group of parents as "the Child Finder," Naomi is their last hope. Naomi’s methodical search takes her deep into the icy, mysterious forest in the Pacific Northwest, and into her own fragmented past. She understands children like Madison because once upon a time, she was a lost girl, too. As Naomi relentlessly pursues and slowly uncovers the truth behind Madison’s disappearance, shards of a dark dream pierce the defenses that have protected her, reminding her of a terrible loss she feels but cannot remember. If she finds Madison, will Naomi ultimately unlock the secrets of her own life? Told in the alternating voices of Naomi and a deeply imaginative child, The Child Finder is a breathtaking, exquisitely rendered literary page-turner about redemption, the line between reality and memories and dreams, and the human capacity to survive.

Sixteen-year-old Florrie's dreams of perfect love prove illusive when her boyfriend abandons her once he discovers that she is pregnant, leaving her to decide whether or not to have the baby alone.

In this beautiful nonfiction biography, a Robert F. Sibert Medal winner, the Newbery Honor–winning author Joyce Sidman introduces readers to one of the first female entomologists and a woman who flouted convention in the pursuit of knowledge and her passion for insects. One of the first naturalists to observe live insects directly, Maria Sibylla Merian was also one of the first to document the metamorphosis of the butterfly. Richly illustrated throughout with full-color original paintings by Merian herself, The Grew Who Drew Butterflies will enthrall young scientists. Bugs, of all kinds, were considered to be “born of mud” and to be “beasts of the devil.” Why would anyone, let alone a girl, want to study and observe them? The Girl Who Drew Butterflies answers this question. Booklist Editor’s Choice Chicago Public Library Best of the Year Kirkus Best Book of the Year Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book Junior Library Guild Selection New York Public Library Top 10 Best Books of the Year

It's hard to be Velma, the littlest Gratch, entering the first grade. That's because everyone has marvelous memories of her two older sisters, who were practically perfect first graders. Poor Velma—people can barely remember her name. But all that changes on a class trip to the magnificent Butterfly Conservatory—a place neither of her sisters has ever been. When a monarch roosts on Velma's finger and won't budge for days . . . well, no one will forget Velma ever again. Acclaimed and bestselling illustrator Kevin Hawkes and author Alan Madison celebrate everything butterfly—from migration to metamorphosis. Watch as Velma Gratch metamorphosizes from a timid first grader into a confident young scientist!

Originally published: Amazon Publishing, 2016.

"Do you teach those butterflies to fly?" I ask Becky - and that makes her giggle and go scampering off over the bridge and into the tall flowers. 'Becky the Butterfly Girl' is based on a real-life little girl whose parents love to garden the natural way. They use no chemicals, plant native varieties of shrubs and flowers, and strive to make their yard a safe and bountiful place for all living things - especially the birds, bees - and butterflies! Becky loves it all! She is an enthusiastic hostess for any groups or individuals who come to visit and learn about the life cycle of the Monarch butterflies. Becky shows us 'the works' - flitting from flowers to pond, calling out the names of flowers, laughing at the fish - and finally showing us all about the life cycle of the beautiful monarch butterflies. Becky tells us about all that her daddy is doing to raise monarchs and educate other people to help them as well. This little book is filled with Becky's enthusiasm and tells the amazing story of the monarch - from egg to caterpillar to butterfly! It is a life-cycle that lots of people know very little about - a true mystery of nature - yet we should all be aware of it and help to preserve the magic for future generations. Share this book with your children and get extras to share with other children, the library and maybe even the nearby nature center!