Review: The Button War

The Button War by Avi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley, Candlewick Press and Avi for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Meet Patryk and his buddies. They live in a small rural town in Poland, surrounded by a large forest. Their village has one schoolhouse, one church, and one bridge that leads into town. The nearest city is maybe a five hour walk. Nothing much ever happens in their town. The boys like to hang out at their favourite spot by the water pump in the middle of town. They play games, share gossip and race around getting into minor scrapes but what they love best is to dare each other. Most of the dares are harmless, more naughty than dangerous, just trying to one up each other in a constant competition. In this group of seven, each of the boys are different. One is rich, one is dirt poor, one follows the church and one is smart in school but as you get to know them it is their character traits that stand out and defines their status within their group. Jurek doesn’t have any parents and lives with his sister, who barely takes care of him. He has the most freedom to run about town, but has the biggest chip on his shoulder, always trying to prove he is the best. He has a mean streak and often pushes the group into doing things they aren’t comfortable with. Jurek claims that he is the king of the forest. Patryk would like to stand up to him, but often falls short of the mark. Once Patryk found a shiny button in their secret spot. Jurek got so mad, thinking someone had something better than he did, he took the button from Patryk and threw it into the forest. Patryk was really sad about losing his button.

One day Patryk is walking to school when he hears a horrible clatter and sees a strange mechanical bird in the air. Before you know it, a bomb drops on the schoolhouse. This is the first time he has seen or even heard of an aeroplane. It is also the first time he witnesses someone dying right in front of him. Soon, the Russian soldiers come into their small town disrupting normal life. Jurek has procured a button from a soldier’s uniform trying to say how much better his is than Patryk’s was. This gives him a great idea. He announces to the group that they will have a dare, a contest - who can get the best button. It is dangerous because they are not allowed to ask for it, they must steal it. So starts the button war. When the German army invades their town, the stakes for new buttons are raised. But war has come to the small town and the boys have bigger problems than hunting for buttons. They want to stop but can’t. If Jurek wins he will make all of their lives miserable. What the boys don’t realize is that the hunt for the buttons will create a turn of events that none of them are prepared for.

Avi has done it again. He has written an exciting novel that will pull you in and keep you reading right to the end. I really enjoyed it and I think that middle schoolers will really love reading this novel. I won’t say “boys” because although I think males will really respond to this book, I am a girl and I loved it and when I was that age, I would also have loved it. It has so much drama. First you have the button war and how the stakes are raised as each new army comes through their town. The backdrop of the war ripping through their home and seeing how it affects the boys’ lives, who are so removed from civilization and lead a simple life, gives a sense of how devastating war can be without getting too graphic. Oh, but don’t worry, lots of gross stuff to keep kids interested. Of course, the relationship between the boys is the most relatable. It is something every child can understand. You have seven different characters, leaving lots of entry points for kids to jump in to. Patrick’s struggle is real. He want to challenge Jurek the bully, doesn’t like to be called a coward, and gets suckered into doing things he doesn’t want to do. How many times was I, as a kid, talked into doing things I didn’t want to do, especially when I hung around kids who my parents didn’t approve of. Patryk also feels a moral obligation towards the rest of the group not wanting them to be at the mercy of Jurek. He knows he is the strongest and has the best chance to beat him. When real bad things start happening it is interesting to examine people’s behaviour - when do you stop listening to your inner voice, what happens when you ignore it and go against your better judgement, how far will you be pushed before you make a stand, I mean there are millions of interesting questions that come up with the themes Avi puts forth. A very well written, action packed read with drama and unexpected events, one I really enjoyed.

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