The Butterfly Club is a book about triplets, all girls, called Phil, Maddie and Tina. When they were born, Tina was squashed and born much smaller than her sisters. Sometimes Tina gets mistaken as the youngest child and Phil and Maddie are mistaken as twins! Tina is not allowed to play sports because her mother and father are very cautious about her getting hurt. They say Tina has a weak heart and is very delicate. Tina knows this very well but wishes she wasn't treated so differently from her siblings.
On the first day of Year Three, the triplets' new teacher, Miss Lovejoy, who appears to be nothing like her name, decides it's time the triplets made new friends and separates them in class. Tina is placed next to the evil Selma who is the school bully. Tina is terrified of her.
Then suddenly, Tina gets pneumonia and and has to stay at home for a long time. This is when she discovers her love of butterflies. Her favourite one is the Postman Butterfly.
When she returns to school, Selma has changed. But not for the better. She has become even more horrible and terrifying than before. Miss Lovejoy can sense that Tina is worried at being back at school and this is when Miss Lovejoy hatches a plan…
She decides that Selma and Tina should create a school butterfly garden together. Neither girl likes the idea to begin with but through their efforts together, they find that they are similar in many ways after all.
I would recommend this book to seven to ten year olds and would give this book four stars out of five for the fact that it was realistic and enjoyable to read. I deducted a star because although I learned to enjoy reading through Jacqueline Wilson's books, I think I have outgrown them now I am nearly eleven. But overall this book was still another fabulous Jacqueline Wilson classic.
• Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop.
Want to tell the world about a book you've read? Join the site and send us your review!
