Celeste Marconi is a dreamer. She lives peacefully among friends and neighbors and family in the idyllic town of Valparaiso, Chile-until one day when warships are spotted in the harbor and schoolmates start disappearing from class without a word. Celeste doesn’t quite know what is happening, but one thing is clear: no one is safe, not anymore.
The country has been taken over by a government that declares artists, protestors, and anyone who helps the needy to be considered “subversive” and dangerous to Chile’s future. So Celeste’s parents-her educated, generous, kind parents-must go into hiding before they, too, “disappear.” Before they do, however, they send Celeste to America to protect her.
As Celeste adapts to her new life in Maine, she never stops dreaming of Chile. But even after democracy is restored to her home country, questions remain: Will her parents reemerge from hiding? Will she ever be truly safe again?

In this inspiring sequel to the Pura Belpre Award-winning, “dazzling and insightful” (BCCB) I Lived on Butterfly Hill, thirteen-year-old Celeste Marconi returns home to a very different Chile and makes it her mission to rebuild her community, and find those who are still missing.
During Celeste Marconi’s time in Maine, thoughts of the brightly colored cafes and salty air of Valparaiso, Chile, carried her through difficult, homesick days. Now, she’s finally returned home to find the dictatorship has left its mark on her once beautiful and vibrant community.
Celeste is determined to help her beloved Butterfly Hill get back to the way it was and to encourage her neighbors to fight to regain what they’ve lost. More than anything, Celeste wishes she could bring back her best friend, Lucilla, who was one of many to disappear during the dictatorship. It all seems too big to fix-until she receives a letter that changes everything.
When Celeste sets off on her biggest adventure yet, she’ll uncover more heartbreaking truths of what her country has endured. But even if Butterfly Hill can never be what it was, moving forward and healing can make it something even better.