"The Patron Saint of Butterflies" by Julie Swenson tells the story of two girls, Batty and Perdita, who grow up in a religious commune called the Moth. As they navigate their complicated friendship, they face the oppressive beliefs of their community and the secrets that lurk beneath its surface. Batty, who has always been the obedient follower, begins to question the faith she's been raised in when she discovers the darker realities of their world. Meanwhile, Perdita yearns for freedom and dreams of a life outside the constraints of the commune. Their journey explores themes of faith, friendship, and the pursuit of self-discovery. [Generated by language model - please report any problems].

This book is the winner of numerous awards

This book is part of a book series called Playaway Children .

This book has been graded for interest at 12-17 years.

This book is aimed at Young Adult readers. The term Young Adult (YA) is used for books which have the following characteristics: (1) aimed at ages 12-18 years, US grades 7-12, UK school years 8-15, (2) around 50-75k words long, (3) main character is aged 12-18 years, (4) topics include self-reflection, internal conflict vs external, analyzing life and its meaning, (5) point of view is often in the first person, and (6) swearing, violence, romance and sexuality are allowed. This book was published in 2012 by Full Cast Audio .

Cecilia Galante received a B. A. in English from King's College, and an MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College, Vermont. She lives in Kingston, PA with her husband and three children, and is a faculty member of the Graduate Creative Writing Department at Wilkes University.