Better With Butter by Victoria Pointek
The Hook:
Marvel has anxiety. Not just a little anxiety—she has anxiety so bad that she might not pass the 6th grade. To add more fuel to the fire she froze onstage in front of the whole school and had to be carried off by the principal and nurse. Total embarrassment! It gave the school bully, Jamie, an even bigger reason to make fun of her.
When she walks home that very day and sees Jamie and his friends tormenting a small goat, surprising everyone—especially herself—she jumps into action. She saves the goat from the boys and takes it home with her. The little goat has a very worn collar with the name “Butter” on it. The collar looks so old that Marvel believes Butter has been on her own for a while.
Marvel researches goats. It turns out that Butter is a myotonic or fainting goat. When she gets stressed out, she faints and then quickly jumps back up again. Jamie and his friends thought it was funny, but Marvel knows better. No animal should get that stressed out.
She also learns that having an emotional support animal can help her manage her anxiety and so she makes it her mission to make Butter a support animal so she can feel as brave at school as she does at home taking care of her new goat bestie. Will her plan work? You gotta read Better with Butter to find out.
This book is in our library. It’s also in Sora and Axis 360 as an ebook as well as an audio book. It is 9 AR points.
My Thoughts and Recommendations (Be Careful There May Be Spoilers):
I give this book 4.5 stars. I totally enjoyed reading it. It was sweet and laugh-out loud funny at times. I loved how the author made comparisons to Marvel’s anxiety and Butter’s. It made me root for both these characters supporting each other with their disabilities. It also showed helping others sometimes is the best medicine for your own troubles.
The author does a fantastic job with character development. You FEEL what Marvel feels as she struggles with her anxiety. At one point she loses Butter because the original owner shows up to claim her. You are devastated right along with Butter and can sense her anguish in trying to get Butter back. The ending is very satisfying in that both the original owner and Marvel will share in the care of Butter.
I recommend this book for readers in 4th-8th grades. It’s rather long (320 pages) so I would say strong readers in 4th-6th and anyone in 7th-8th grades. This is for students who love animals, may have anxiety themselves, or tender-hearted, introspective kids.
