BUTTERFLY HEART

Michael L. Printz Honoree Åstot (Sámi) returns with a sophomore novel that explores grief, identity, and life in the digital age.

In this translated title from Sweden, Vilda is missing her best friend, Alma, who’s off on a summer holiday. Shy, artistic Vilda, 13, feels vulnerable: Her body’s changing, and her sense of self is in flux. Her mom is Sámi, and her dad is Swedish. Longing to connect with her Sámi heritage, Vilda persuades Áddjá, her beloved maternal grandfather, to teach her to speak Sámi, but then he dies unexpectedly. At his funeral, a bereft Vilda notices handsome Sámi pallbearer Samuel, who’s a few years older than she is. She’s thoroughly smitten—plus, a Sámi boyfriend could help validate her Indigenous identity, which her Swedish classmates have questioned. Feeling emboldened, she posts a photo of herself wearing her late áhkko’s Sámi wedding dress. Samuel comments, and she’s thrilled when they start texting. Vilda is also excited to garner flattering likes and comments from people other than Alma and her paternal grandfather. But there’s discomfort too: “To think that a piece of clothing and some makeup can make that kind of difference.” Watching mercurial Vilda figure out who she wants to be and how to get there is a delight that’s bolstered by Broomé’s sparkling translation. From emotional depths to a healing, triumphant resolution, Vilda is an Everygirl for our time.

Limns the volatile peaks and valleys and emotional quicksand of adolescence with compassion and wry humor.