The Boy with the Butterfly Mind

I have mixed emotions about this story. Some chapters I found difficult to read and if reading with children at school. I feel it would lead to a lot of discussions about the choices the characters make.

It looks at a range of themes including ADHD and family breakdowns/blended families. It explores empathy, acceptance and gives an insight into how the themes can affect mental health and emotions.

I feel I would need to be considerate about who I share this story with as the themes could be close to home for some children and their lived experiences.

Brilliant book told from two different perspectives.

Good

Really really sad but it was very nice at the end

Really good.

I really like the book, because you saw two sides of the story and they were completely different

I thought that this book was really good.My favourite character was Elin. I would definitely recommend this to my friends.

A glorious read - so vividly told that it hurts to read about the turmoil in Ellen and Jamie's young lives. Victoria Williamson draws the reader into a world of passion, confusion and miscommunication. While it is definitely a page-turner there were times that I could almost not bear to turn over. What a wonderful book dealing with truly big issues such as blended families and living with ADHD and a person who has ADHD. I would strongly recommend this book.

Wonderful. Such a heartfelt book that really showed life through different children’s eyes.

Enjoyed this book so much as it relates to children I have worked with. Showing me their views from their perspective.

Fiction
Fav character - Jamie because he was really nice to Elin even although Elin wasn't nice to him
I would recommend this book to my friends

I loved the dual narrative of this book, telling the story from two viewpoints. It was also a good exposition of being a bully, how this feels and why it can happen.

I thought that the book shows us that we can all have different mindsets and that we should always look at our lives from a different perspective. My favourite character was Jamie and Elin. I would recommend this to someone else because they could also look at their life in a different perspective.

Fiction
This was a brilliantly written book about the complications of family break ups, bullying and ADHD.
I really enjoyed both characters and their completely different perspectives on life. It gave me a good understanding of how it feels to be a child facing changes in family circumstances. It also helped me to understand ADHD better.
I would recommend this book to staff and to children in P5-7.

It was a very nice book. It was connected about family and friendships and I liked it.
I liked Elin Watts as she is quite like a 'perfect' girl but she soon realised that you don't walays have to be perfect when her stepbrother arrives.

This story features two main characters, Jamie and Elin. Jamie has ADHD and just wants to be the same as other children and do normal things. His Mum and Dad have separated and Jamie hopes that when he starts a new chapter of his life in America, with his Mum, the amazing doctors there can 'fix' him. Elin is trying to be as perfect as she can so that her Dad will see the error in his ways and return to the family and they can all be happy again. However that is not to be as Jamie and Elin's families join, chaos follows and everyone's lives are disrupted. The story made me laugh and cry in equal measure. Jamie because he tried so hard to control himself and not be so 'mad' and Elin who always wanted to do things perfectly and became very upset when Jamie ruined her plans. I felt sorry for both of them as they tried to deal with the situation they found themselves in as well as being accepted by their peers whilst trying to live in a happy family.
I recommend this book to other readers who would like a small insight into the world of a child with ADHD. I think the author has described Jamie's character extremely well and it reminded me of some of the children I have seen over the years in an educational environment.

I really enjoyed this book and the way each chapter was written from the view point of Elin or Jamie. The journey that the two characters make to find acceptance was really interesting. The story really gave an insight into the mind of a boy with ADHD and how they are perceived by those around them. I l liked the way the 2 main characters evolved through the story. Elin - who at the beginning was seemingly happy and perfect - was hiding her true self. Whilst Jamie - who believed himself to be broken because of his ADHD - learns to accept himself.
Would definitely recommend this story.

This was a joy to read - it was both moving and uplifting. A fictional story about a boy called Jamie who has ADHD. The author really helps to evoke feelings of empathy, tolerance and understanding in the reader. There are some really funny parts in it too - Jamie is quite a wee character! I would highly recommend this book.

A glorious book which is a must read for educators everywhere due to the exploration of life with ADHD. A heartwarming tale about adapting to change and being accepted from the perspective of two characters!

a must read

This book was very engaging from the start. The characters are thoughtfully and sensitively portrayed and resonate with the sorts of experiences children have to deal with.

It was a really funny and moving story.
My favourite character was paige the girl who was shy but learnt to be more confident.
I would recommend it.

This is a fiction book but has some real life events in the book, like science fairs. It’s quite an emotional book and describes how people feel and how families come together. My favourite character was Jamie because he helped my understand ADHD.