''A Cage of Butterflies'' is a

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

young adult novel by

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n author

Brian Caswell Brian Caswell (born 13 January 1954) is an Australian author of young adult fiction. Biography Brian Caswell was born in a village called Gwernaffield in Wales, on 13 January 1954. His family moved to England, when he was 5 years old. When he ...

Plot summary

The story is set in a research facility (known as the "farm") involving two groups of people. The first group contains several teenagers with IQs above 150. These teenagers (Greg, Mikki, Lesley, Gordon, Gretel, Katie and Chris) call themselves the "Think Tank". However, this group is merely a smokescreen for the real subjects of the research - five seven-year-olds who are able to communicate telepathically, known as the "Babies". The Babies are called Pep, Ricardo, Ian, Rachael and Myriam. The Babies were all born around the same time in the same hospital. When the members of the first group are "contacted" by the Babies, they learn of the researchers' exploitation, and, with the help of compassionate workers at the facility (Susan and Erik), investigate the reason for the Babies' condition. The Babies need help as the head researcher, Larsen, will stop at nothing to solve the mystery. The Think Tank, as well as researcher Susan and young orderly Erik, provide this help. They trick the head researcher, John Larsen, so they can escape. The story ends with the Think Tank six years into the future. They turned the think tank into 'Think Tank Inc.', a company worth three million dollars. The Babies, Think Tank and newlyweds Erik and Susan all live together. Greg and Mikki are also married. The title, "A Cage of Butterflies" refers to the fact that Larsen and the research staff keep both the Babies and the think tank under constant supervision and keep them "caged" or "prisoners" since they do not allow them to move around freely.

Characters

Think Tank

*Greg *Mikki *Katie *Lesley *Gordon *Gretel *Chris

Researchers/scientists

*Larsen *Susan *Erik *MacIntyre *Richard (formerly)

The Babies

*Ian (twins with Rachael) *Myriam *Ricardo *Rachael *Pep

Awards

* Shortlisted 3M Talking Book of the Year Award 1993 * Shortlisted CBCA Book of the Year Awards Older Readers 1993

References

1992 Australian novels Australian young adult novels Children's science fiction novels Australian science fiction novels 1992 science fiction novels University of Queensland Press books 1992 children's books {{1990s-child-sf-novel-stub