Pupils from Scoil San Carlo in Leixlip reviewed my book at the Awards Ceremony and they used an interesting format of a Q and A session. I asked them for a copy of the review and here it is. I was delighted with the review as it appeared to me to be an honest review and from the sound of it the class enjoyed reading the book. I love the fact that the book made Lexi want to visit Zambia one day. Their teacher is Ms. Geraldine Covery - congratulations to her and her whole class for the presentation on the day, they did a great job, I'd give them 10 out of 10 for it! I hope to get to visit them in the near future.
Dear Paula, this is Laura, Lexi and Amy
We are sending you our review .We are really glad you wanted to have a copy of what we said. We were delighted you came over to us straight away when the break started, and we are thrilled you won the Eilís Dillon Award. Please type/ write back.
(Laura Asks) What is this book about?
(Amy Answers) This book is about a twelve-year-old girl named Winifred who is being forced into marriage at a young age, to a man that is old enough to be her father. Her friends Bulboo, Madillo and Fred try to help her but nothing can be done, so they seek help from Ifwafwa, the snake man.
(Laura Asks) Where the characters believable?
(Lexi Answers) In my opinion, most characters are realistic. Winifred and Bulboo are very believable as they act as normal teenage girls should. Ifwafwa and the great-granny aren’t believable, for me, because I don’t believe a man can get snakes into his bag by humming a specific tune. I also don’t believe in physic powers.
Do you like the design and layout of the book and why do you think it is called ‘The butterfly heart’?
(Amy Answers) I like the cover of the book, as it doesn’t give away anything of the book. The font of the title stands out against all the illustrations in the background. The illustrations at the start of each chapter convey who the point of view in the story is coming from. I think it is cool how when Bulboo is talking it has a butterfly symbol, when Winifred is talking it is like a zig- zag symbol and when Ifwafwa is talking it is a snake symbol.
(Lexi Answers) I think it is called ‘The Butterfly Heart’ because the setting is in Zambia, and Zambia is in a shape of a butterfly. Zambia is known as the heart of Africa. I was so intrigued by the book that when I’m older I’d LOVE to visit Zambia.
Is there any part of the book that stood out for you?
(Amy Answers) My favourite part is when sister Lionisa tells the children about “Mad The Bad” –read out part- (pg. 196)
I really liked this part, as it was just funny. It had our whole class laughing. The way sister Lionisa explains it, I imagine her having a perfectly straight face while saying it. This part happens after Winifred’s life is back to normal, when she starts smiling again.
(Lexi Answers) My favourite part of the book is when Sister Lionisa tells the children about the tapeworm. She told them ‘Once the tapeworm has entered your body, it is nothing more than a small egg. But it quickly grows and all it does, afterwards, is eat. The way you get the tapeworm out of your body is you starve it. You mustn’t eat anything for three days. After the three days have past you pour milk into a saucer and sit somewhere comfortable. You hold the saucer in front of your mouth. When you feel a movement in your stomach it means it is coming towards your mouth. When you see it licking the milk out of the saucer, you pull it put. But you mustn’t bite it because if you do the tail will fall back into your stomach and grown another head. Once it is out of your mouth you stamp on it until you are sure it is dead.’ I like this part because when I was reading this part, it made me want to be in Sister Lionisa’s class and listen to her crazy stories.
Who is your favourite character?
(Amy Answers) My favourite character is Bulboo, as she believes in Ifwafwa. She has faith in him and she knows he can do it. She was right in the end, He sorted it out. Her twin sister- Madillo- Is nothing like her. Bulboo, as I imagine her, is a very friendly girl. If she was a real person I would like to be friends with her. I imagine her having long brown hair, I don’t know why, I just do. She was really concerned when Winifred stopped putting up her hand, it’s the little things that friends notice.
What would you rate the book out of ten?
(Lexi Answers) I would rate it ten out of ten because this book has a lot of imagination and is very creative. When Winifred was telling us how she was feeling, I could feel everything she was feeling.
(Amy Answers) The story was very well written, it was different and it stayed with me, even after the last page. It was straightforward and you just kept on wanting to read it. I loved this book! 10/10