[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Random House in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
When Grace spends a week with her grandpa during the summer before 6th grade, she stumbles onto an unusual treasure in an old building he bought to renovate – buttons. Thousands of buttons – all colors, shapes and sizes. Grace has always been a collector of trinkets, so she immediately falls in love with all the buttons. So her grandpa ships them to her on a pallet when she gets back home.
When Grace later shares with a class about the building her grandfather bought, she shows a handful of the buttons she found there. And that’s where the button fanaticism begins.
Soon kids are raiding the family sewing kit for buttons. They’re telling family stories with old buttons. Buttons are traded and turned into jewelry. Kids are playing games with buttons. And scientifically-minded Grace is loving it. She’s watching the fad develop, categorizing how kids are getting involved, and trying to trace the sub-trends. But when Grace is ostracized from her best friend because of buttons, she’s ready for the whole fad to just go away. But how do you kill a fad?
Review
Andrew Clements has written some of my favorite books for kids – Frindle, No Talking, The Last Holiday Concert, The Loser’s Club. In The Friendship War, he has captured kid- and school-culture perfectly once again!
Anyone who remembers the fads of their childhood – or who has raised kids or worked in a school – has seen a fad (or 10) come and go. And Clements describes the process – from Grace’s perspective – perfectly. Grace is probably more analytical than most kids in the middle of a fad, but she owns that. And I think it gave the story a fun and unusual thread that readers will enjoy.
I loved Grace! She’s so bright. And she works hard to be a problem solver. Her choices aren’t always the best, but her intentions are good. Most of all, I loved the things Grace learns in the book, especially about what it means to be a friend.
I highly recommend this – and the rest of Clements’ school stories – for the middle grade readers in your life!
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