Sab wants to celebrate her 11th birthday with her family at the country resort owned by her father and his partner, Wendell, outside Manila, but things are complicated. Her aspiring journalist sister, Ate Nadine, hasn’t spoken to their father in years, and Sab doesn’t know why. Worse, Sab recently spotted a dreaded black butterfly, which she believes to be a portent of her own death. Determined to enjoy her last days on Earth and to have her sister at her birthday party, Filipino Sab and her white best friend, Pepper, begin to spy on Ate Nadine, hoping to uncover the reason behind the father-daughter rift. As their quest takes them to various locations in Manila, they learn more about Ate Nadine’s desire to expose drug dealing on her college campus, and the often- violent methods of the government and police force to eradicate drug abuse. Sab is bright and observant; her guileless voice grounds this narrative even as she navigates complex political and personal situations. Sab learns difficult truths about her father’s past, but it comes with hope as new honesty brings the promise of healing the rift in her family. (Ages 8–12)

* "Villanueva's debut is a beautiful #ownvoices middle-grade novel. Tough topics are addressed, but warmth and humor... bring lightness to Sab's story. This immersive novel bursts with life." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

When superstitious Sab sees a giant black butterfly, an omen of death, she knows that she's doomed! According to legend, she has one week before her fate catches up with her -- on her 11th birthday. With her time running out, all she wants is to celebrate her birthday with her entire family. But her sister, Ate Nadine, stopped speaking to their father one year ago, and Sab doesn't even know why.If Sab's going to get Ate Nadine and their father to reconcile, she'll have to overcome her fears -- of her sister's anger, of leaving the bubble of her sheltered community, of her upcoming doom -- and figure out the cause of their rift.So Sab and her best friend Pepper start spying on Nadine and digging into their family's past to determine why, exactly, Nadine won't speak to their father. But Sab's adventures across Manila reveal truths about her family more difficult -- and dangerous -- than she ever anticipated.Was the Butterfly right? Perhaps Sab is doomed after all!