The Year of the Buttered Cat: A Mostly True Story

Gr 5 Up–Just weeks after her birth in 2002, Lexi Haas developed a neurological condition called kernicterus. Though she cannot speak, walk, or perform other essential skills, she is brilliant. As this book, which she cowrote with her mother, shows, Lexi faces many obstacles that may make her life more difficult, but she doesn’t let it get her down or hold her back. The story shared in this book is mostly true, as the authors’ note explains that some aspects were added or altered to make a more compelling story. At its heart, however, the struggle Lexi and her family deal with is there. The book alternates between Lexi at age 13 in the hours leading up to the elective brain surgery she hopes will help her, and age five, a prominent year in her life. Despite her kernicterus, Lexi still faces some of the same challenges as her peers. This book is an inspiring story filled with love, laughs, and support. Readers may not have known Lexi before reading her story, but they will love her after.