This was a really good middle grade read. I didn't know anything about the island in the Philippines that was designated as a leper colony, so I definitely looked into that a bit. Ami's separation from her mother because she was "clean" and her mother had leprosy was so heartbreaking. But then following her journey, her new friendships, her fierce determination, was beautiful.

And I loved that each chapter heading added a butterfly to indicate the chapter number.