Red Butterfly by A. L. Sonnichsen

• Genre:  Free Verse/Realistic Fiction
• Grade Level: 4th - 7th
• Reading Level: 5.1
• Length: 385 pages 
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (February 3, 2015)
• My Rating: 4 out of 4
• Readabiltiy:  Started out slow for me but was a quick read as I got into the book. 
• Division 2 and Crossover 

Kara was abandoned in China as a baby because of a deformity; she has only two stubs on one of her hands instead of fingers.  She is taken in by an American couple teaching English in China.  When they need to leave, because of  government policies, they are unable to take Kara and so the mother stays in hiding with Kara in China instead.  Years pass and they are unable to resolve the situation. When an older sister comes to China to visit and ends up in the hospital, the secrecy is found out.  Because of the parents secrecy, 11 year old Kara is sent to an orphanage for adoption instead of staying with her mother and father. Kara may end up separated from them forever. 

This book starts out slowly but I started to really enjoy the story and cheer and cry for Kara as she experiences some very difficulty situations because of her government and her handicap. It is a very inspirational story of love and a girl caught between two lives.