Summer of the Mariposas by Guadalupe Garcia McCall

Odilia, as the eldest sister, straddles that line between being a sister as well as the one trying to be the voice of authority, which isn’t easy with four sisters who also think they know what’s best.

Largely left on their own while their mother works, the sisters feel that they only have each other to rely on. The memory of their father, who abandoned their family a year earlier, still lingers, while some hold on to their anger, others cannot help but hope for his return. With ages ranging from ten to fifteen, these five sisters have grown up as each other’s constant companions. One of my favorite elements about this novel is the relationship between the Garza sisters. Guadalupe Garcia McCall’s Summer of the Mariposas combines elements from Homer’s The Odyssey and Mexican folklore in this epic tale of five sisters discovering what it means to be a family. And that’s exactly what we were doing the morning the body of a dead man drifted into our swimming haven.” “It was a magical time, full of dreaminess and charm, a time to watch the mariposas emerge out of their cocoons, gather their courage, and take flight while we floated faceup in the water. But their journey will be anything but easy, for wicked creatures seek to ensnare them and the Garza sisters will need to be brave and faithful to one another if they wish to ever return home. When they find a body in their hidden sanctuary, instead of calling the authorities, the sisters are determined to return him to his family in Mexico. The summer a swarm of butterflies takes over their town of Eagle Pass, Texas, the sisters spend their days at a secluded swimming hole fed from the Rio Grande.

Odilia and her four little sisters have one rule: cinco hermanitas, together forever.

Summer of the Mariposas by Guadalupe Garcia McCall