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The Button War
The Button War: A Tale of the Great War | Avi
12 posts | 6 read | 9 to read
Renowned, award-winning author Avi pens a stark, unflinching tale of ordinary boys living in wartime as tensions -- and desperations -- mount among them. Twelve-year-old Patryk knows little of the world beyond his tiny Polish village; the Russians have occupied the land for as long as anyone can remember, but otherwise life is unremarkable. Patryk and his friends entertain themselves by coming up with dares -- some more harmful than others -- until the Germans drop a bomb on the schoolhouse and the Great War comes crashing in. As control of the village falls from one nation to another, Jurek, the ringleader of these friends, devises the best dare yet: whichever boy steals the finest military button will be king. But as sneaking buttons from uniforms hanging to dry progresses to looting the bodies of dead soldiers -- and as Jurek's obsession with being king escalates -- Patryk begins to wonder whether their "button war" is still just a game. When devastation reaches their doorstep, the lines between the button war and the real war blur, especially for the increasingly callous Jurek. Master of historical fiction Avi delivers a fierce account of the boys of one war-torn village who are determined to prove themselves with a simple dare that spins disastrously out of control.
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megnews
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Pickpick

It‘s hard to read a middle grade historical fiction set in a small war torn Polish village at the outset of WWI. Very well done though.

33 likes1 stack add
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megnews
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megnews
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Miladygrimm
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Been waiting a while to start this.

LibrarianRyan ohhhhh. this has been on my TBR for a while. 5y
Miladygrimm @LibrarianRyan same. I got it in a book box a few months ago. I‘m excited 5y
4 likes2 comments
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Just_reading
Bailedbailed

I usually love Avi but this one was just dull. I also truly hated one of the characters... Can't stand bullies, even fictional ones!

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R.L.Walker
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This looks intriguing! Need more WWI era literature!

Just_reading Agree! I wonder why there are so much fewer WWI novels than WWII? 5y
R.L.Walker @Just_reading I think because WWII is more romanticized. My students even prefer. I think it's because the good vs bad guy is hard to figure out in WWI. It led to WWII so we should read more about it. 5y
47 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Peddler410
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My dad loved Avi and even had the opportunity to meet him a few times during his teaching career.

I‘m sure I did not need to own this book, but .... I‘m hoping this might help me get past the reading slump I‘ve been in since my dad died.

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LibrarianRyan
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I LOVE Avi. I can't wait to read this one.

July 24

#CoverLove #MGedition

44 likes1 stack add
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Jess_Franzino
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Pickpick

I usually don‘t read YA or Middle Grade novels, but since this book came in my writing subscription box, I decided to give it a go. It was excellent; more like “Lord of the Flies”, “The Giver”, and other historical classics that I read as a child, than the contemporary YA novels that are out nowadays. This is something that teens ought to read. It‘s a great look into the horrific daily life of a young Polish boy during WWI.

jmofo Avi was one of my favorite authors for a time when I was younger! 6y
13 likes1 stack add1 comment
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RivendellMom
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Pickpick

Like all of Avi's books this one puts you right back in time making you feel what it was like to live long ago. In Patryck's small Polish village the Russians have taken over everything. The school was bombed and people are on edge. Things get worse when the Russians leave and the Germans arrive.
This is World War 1 through the eyes of a 12yo boy.

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Kristy_K
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Panpan

I so wanted to like this middle grade historical fiction book set in Poland during WWI. But the characters were just horrible. Patryk, our MC, is a very weak character & he & his friends are the epitome of meek followers. Jurek was a bully and an a-hole (yes, I know he‘s 12 ish). There was seriously something wrong with him. I did enjoy the parts that looked at the war coming to their town & the changes it created.

#netgalley #arc #middlegrade

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AndreaReads
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Just won this book from the librarian who is teaching my Reading Endorsement class! A tale of the Great War—I‘m excited to add this to my list!

On another positive note—please send a happy welcome to my awesome friend, fellow Hogwarts alum and 8th grade teacher, @Kbennington

Kristie, here are some great places to start: @LitsyWelcomeWagon along with the hashtag #LitsyWelcomeWagon

CoffeeNBooks Welcome to Litsy @Kbennington! 🎉 6y
DivineDiana @Kbennington Glad you joined our fabulous group! 😉📚❤️ 6y
tammysue Hello and welcome to Litsy! 👋🏻🎉🌸 @Kbennington (edited) 6y
Kbennington Thanks all! This is so new to me to be on an app like this so any advice will be most helpful. 6y
Jas16 Welcome to Litsy @Kbennington 6y
70 likes5 comments