The Metamorphosis of Emma Murry by Rebecca Laxton

Today’s tour with The Children’s Book Review is a little different than what I normally share with you. Many of the books are ideal for early readers whereas this book is for tweens. It is also Rebecca Laxton’s debut novel. Many congratulations!!! It was released about a month ago so it is a very new book. My daughter is in this age and she would love this book! The cover is beautiful with the soft colors and it makes you want to see what is inside!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to share my opinion, but this isn’t a sponsored post.

About the Book:

Thirteen-year-old Emma Murry has three goals for summer vacation: finish her art terms project, land an ollie, and help the environmental club save the monarchs.

But then her Instagram crush Jeb Scott and his celebrity dad Chester make a surprise visit to Black Mountain. At first, Emma is thrilled, but then she overhears their plans to destroy the monarch butterfly garden to build a ski resort. She and her best friend Sophie add a new summer goal: STOP. THE. SCOTTS.

Emma ignores Sophie’s warnings and makes friends with Jeb, convinced she can change his mind. Then when Chester receives a mysterious death threat, Emma teams up with Jeb to investigate. She slowly discovers people are not what they seem as she attempts to untangle friendships, organize a protest, and uncover supernatural secrets hiding on the mountain.

Emma will have to go through her own metamorphosis by overcoming her fears and facing what she dreads. If she fails, she could jeopardize everything—butterflies, friendships, and her family.

 

Review:

This book has everything a tween (or adult) would want in a book. Emma and her friends are spending their summer helping the butterflies by planting a pollination area with beautiful plants. When someone wants to tear down their area to put up a ski resort Emma and her friends know they have to do something. What follows is a story of fighting for what you believe in with a crush and a potential werewolf mixed in for added excitement.

The book also highlights nature and how important it is as the friends try to stop the ski resort from being built. This is exactly the type of book I would have wanted to read at this age and I enjoyed the book at my current age! One of the things I loved most about this book is the descriptions of Emma’s art. I could almost see the colors she was trying to match perfectly with the scene she was painting. The title is incredibility clever because butterflies play a large part in the book and Emma is growing and undergoing changes the same as a caterpillar does changing into a butterfly.

Giveaway:

We have a special giveaway for this wonderful book!

The Metamorphosis of Emma Murry Book Giveaway

One (1) grand prize winner receives:

A SWAG bag that includes:

 - A signed hardcover copy of The Metamorphosis of Emma Murry

- A tote, puzzle, word search, small skateboard sticker, small butterfly sticker, and large vinyl butterfly sticker made with the illustrator's graphics.

Five (4) winners receive:

 - A signed paperback copy of The Metamorphosis of Emma Murry

About the author:

Rebecca Laxton has served school communities as an afterschool program director, reading specialist, and school psychologist. While working for Boone County Schools, she was named the Kentucky School Psychologist of the Year for collaborating with teachers and administrators to write and evaluate an emotional intelligence curriculum.

Rebecca is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Charlotte Literary Arts, and the North Carolina Writers Association. Her short memoir, “Throw Like a Girl,” about playing on a mostly boys Little League team can be found in The Love of Baseball (McFarland 2017). Currently, she is a dyslexia practitioner and enjoys reading, writing and spending time in the Blue Ridge Mountains with her husband, four kids, and three dogs.

Rebecca invites you to visit her online at www.rebeccalaxton.com.

 

About the Illustrator:

Gracie Laxton is a freelance graphic designer and dance choreographer from North Carolina but is currently based in New York City. A 2021 graduate of Central Academy of Technology and Arts in Monroe, NC, she studied art as part of The Savannah College of Art and Design’s high school joint enrollment program. Currently, she attends Marymount Manhattan College, pursuing degrees in dance and art.