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The Friendship War
A fabulous school story about fads and friendship from the bestselling author of Frindle.
This is war. Okay--that's too dramatic.
But no matter what this is called, so far I'm winning.
And it feels wonderful.
Grace and Ellie have been best friends since second grade. Ellie's always right in the center of everything--and Grace is usually happy to be Ellie's sidekick. But what happens when everything changes? This time it's Grace who suddenly has everyone's attention when she accidentally starts a new fad at school. A fad that has first her class, then her grade, and then the entire school collecting and trading and even fighting over . . . buttons ?! A fad that might get her in major trouble and could even be the end of Grace and Ellie's friendship. Because Ellie's not used to being one-upped by anybody. There's only one thing for Grace to do. With the help of Hank, the biggest button collector in the 6th grade, she'll have to figure out a way to end the fad once and for all. But once a fad starts, can it be stopped?
"A fun, charming story about fads and the friendships that outlast them."-- Booklist
"On-point." --Publishers Weekly
This is war. Okay--that's too dramatic.
But no matter what this is called, so far I'm winning.
And it feels wonderful.
Grace and Ellie have been best friends since second grade. Ellie's always right in the center of everything--and Grace is usually happy to be Ellie's sidekick. But what happens when everything changes? This time it's Grace who suddenly has everyone's attention when she accidentally starts a new fad at school. A fad that has first her class, then her grade, and then the entire school collecting and trading and even fighting over . . . buttons ?! A fad that might get her in major trouble and could even be the end of Grace and Ellie's friendship. Because Ellie's not used to being one-upped by anybody. There's only one thing for Grace to do. With the help of Hank, the biggest button collector in the 6th grade, she'll have to figure out a way to end the fad once and for all. But once a fad starts, can it be stopped?
"A fun, charming story about fads and the friendships that outlast them."-- Booklist
"On-point." --Publishers Weekly
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 8, 2019
219 people are currently reading
821 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Clements
190 books2,181 followersI was born in Camden, New Jersey in 1949 and lived in Oaklyn and Cherry Hill until the middle of sixth grade. Then we moved to Springfield, Illinois. My parents were avid readers and they gave that love of books and reading to me and to all my brothers and sisters. I didn’t think about being a writer at all back then, but I did love to read. I'm certain there's a link between reading good books and becoming a writer. I don't know a single writer who wasn’t a reader first.
Before moving to Illinois, and even afterwards, our family spent summers at a cabin on a lake in Maine. There was no TV there, no phone, no doorbell—and email wasn’t even invented. All day there was time to swim and fish and mess around outside, and every night, there was time to read. I know those quiet summers helped me begin to think like a writer.
During my senior year at Springfield High School my English teacher handed back a poem I’d written. Two things were amazing about that paper. First, I’d gotten an A—a rare event in this teacher’s class. And she’d also written in large, scrawly red writing, “Andrew—this poem is so funny. This should be published!”
That praise sent me off to Northwestern University feeling like I was a pretty good writer, and occasionally professors there also encouraged me and complimented the essays I was required to write as a literature major. But I didn’t write much on my own—just some poetry now and then. I learned to play guitar and began writing songs, but again, only when I felt like it. Writing felt like hard work—something that’s still true today.
After the songwriting came my first job in publishing. I worked for a small publisher who specialized in how-to books, the kind of books that have photos with informative captions below each one. The book in which my name first appeared in print is called A Country Christmas Treasury. I’d built a number of the projects featured in the book, and I was listed as one of the “craftspeople”on the acknowlegements page, in tiny, tiny type.
In 1990 I began trying to write a story about a boy who makes up a new word. That book eventually became my first novel, Frindle, published in 1996, and you can read the whole story of how it developed on another web site, frindle.com. Frindle became popular, more popular than any of my books before or since—at least so far. And it had the eventual effect of turning me into a full-time writer.
I’ve learned that I need time and a quiet place to think and write. These days, I spend a lot of my time sitting in a small shed about seventy feet from my back door at our home in Massachusetts. There’s a woodstove in there for the cold winters, and an air conditioner for the hot summers. There’s a desk and chair, and I carry a laptop computer back and forth. But there’s no TV, no phone, no doorbell, no email. And the woodstove and the pine board walls make the place smell just like that cabin in Maine where I spent my earliest summers.
Sometimes kids ask how I've been able to write so many books. The answer is simple: one word at a time. Which is a good lesson, I think. You don't have to do everything at once. You don't have to know how every story is going to end. You just have to take that next step, look for that next idea, write that next word. And growing up, it's the same way. We just have to go to that next class, read that next chapter, help that next person. You simply have to do that next good thing, and before you know it, you're living a good life.
Before moving to Illinois, and even afterwards, our family spent summers at a cabin on a lake in Maine. There was no TV there, no phone, no doorbell—and email wasn’t even invented. All day there was time to swim and fish and mess around outside, and every night, there was time to read. I know those quiet summers helped me begin to think like a writer.
During my senior year at Springfield High School my English teacher handed back a poem I’d written. Two things were amazing about that paper. First, I’d gotten an A—a rare event in this teacher’s class. And she’d also written in large, scrawly red writing, “Andrew—this poem is so funny. This should be published!”
That praise sent me off to Northwestern University feeling like I was a pretty good writer, and occasionally professors there also encouraged me and complimented the essays I was required to write as a literature major. But I didn’t write much on my own—just some poetry now and then. I learned to play guitar and began writing songs, but again, only when I felt like it. Writing felt like hard work—something that’s still true today.
After the songwriting came my first job in publishing. I worked for a small publisher who specialized in how-to books, the kind of books that have photos with informative captions below each one. The book in which my name first appeared in print is called A Country Christmas Treasury. I’d built a number of the projects featured in the book, and I was listed as one of the “craftspeople”on the acknowlegements page, in tiny, tiny type.
In 1990 I began trying to write a story about a boy who makes up a new word. That book eventually became my first novel, Frindle, published in 1996, and you can read the whole story of how it developed on another web site, frindle.com. Frindle became popular, more popular than any of my books before or since—at least so far. And it had the eventual effect of turning me into a full-time writer.
I’ve learned that I need time and a quiet place to think and write. These days, I spend a lot of my time sitting in a small shed about seventy feet from my back door at our home in Massachusetts. There’s a woodstove in there for the cold winters, and an air conditioner for the hot summers. There’s a desk and chair, and I carry a laptop computer back and forth. But there’s no TV, no phone, no doorbell, no email. And the woodstove and the pine board walls make the place smell just like that cabin in Maine where I spent my earliest summers.
Sometimes kids ask how I've been able to write so many books. The answer is simple: one word at a time. Which is a good lesson, I think. You don't have to do everything at once. You don't have to know how every story is going to end. You just have to take that next step, look for that next idea, write that next word. And growing up, it's the same way. We just have to go to that next class, read that next chapter, help that next person. You simply have to do that next good thing, and before you know it, you're living a good life.
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September 23, 2021
بیشترین دریافتی که من از این کتاب داشتم یاد دادن و فهماندن ارزشهایی مثل دوستی به کودکان بود!
July 31, 2023
چقدر دوستش داشتم. مدتها بود که کتاب نوجوان نخونده بودم، درست از زمان نوجوانی خودم. به نظرم خیلی چیزهای خوبی برای بچهها نوشته بودن توش :))
اول از دید خودم بگم، رهایی جذابی داشت خوندنش. یه چیزی میخونی که دنیای آرون و قشنگ خودشو داره و از باهاش از زندگی روزمره فاصله میگیری. من کلشو توی رفت و آمدهای روزانه خوندم.
اما نکات مثبتش برای من این بود که شخصیتها دشمنیها و دوستیهای مختلفی رو تجربه میکردن، نشون میداد که آدمها کامل نیستن و چطور میشه همین آدمها رو پذیرفت، و این که چطور میشه آدمها رو کنسل نکرد و حرف زد. شخصیت تصمیمهای هیجانی میگرفت و بعد میدیدیم که چه تصمیم بهتری میتونه بگیره و چطور میتونه مهربونتر باشه. چیزی که دنیا حسابی بهش نیاز داره. درباره مرگ و زندگی و پذیرش و اینطور چیزها هم حرف داشت.
شخصیت اصلی که آدم نِردی بود رو دوست داشتم. شیوهی فکر کردنش رو.
اول از دید خودم بگم، رهایی جذابی داشت خوندنش. یه چیزی میخونی که دنیای آرون و قشنگ خودشو داره و از باهاش از زندگی روزمره فاصله میگیری. من کلشو توی رفت و آمدهای روزانه خوندم.
اما نکات مثبتش برای من این بود که شخصیتها دشمنیها و دوستیهای مختلفی رو تجربه میکردن، نشون میداد که آدمها کامل نیستن و چطور میشه همین آدمها رو پذیرفت، و این که چطور میشه آدمها رو کنسل نکرد و حرف زد. شخصیت تصمیمهای هیجانی میگرفت و بعد میدیدیم که چه تصمیم بهتری میتونه بگیره و چطور میتونه مهربونتر باشه. چیزی که دنیا حسابی بهش نیاز داره. درباره مرگ و زندگی و پذیرش و اینطور چیزها هم حرف داشت.
شخصیت اصلی که آدم نِردی بود رو دوست داشتم. شیوهی فکر کردنش رو.
January 31, 2024
Leave it to Andrew Clements to come up with an amusing new school fad.
The summer before sixth grade, Grace Hamlin travels alone to visit her grandfather in Massachusetts. He recently purchased an old building and plans on turning it into a little mall; Gramma died a while back, and he needs a project to distract him from the sadness. Grace approves, but what really gets her attention about the building are the old boxes stuffed with buttons from clothing. As something of a hoarder, she asks Grampa to ship the buttons home to her, and with a merry twinkle in his eye he agrees. Grace's family will be surprised when twenty-seven boxes of buttons show up at their door! She'll have to think quick of a place to store them.
Grace misses Grampa when she goes home to Illinois, but she's excited for the upcoming school year. Her best friend Ellie Emerson is a popular girl who always takes charge; she's fun, pretty, and occasionally generous, so Grace doesn't mind terribly that she bosses her around. When an opportunity arises for Grace to share her new button collection at school, kids are impressed: she has plastic and metal buttons, ones with bright colors and intricate designs, buttons made from semiprecious stones or formed into novel shapes. These are just the small sampling Grace brings to school; she has hundreds of thousands more at home in the boxes Grampa sent. Grace enjoys the attention, but Ellie isn't happy that someone is in her spotlight. She organizes and brings in her own collection of buttons, curated to tell the Emerson family story as far back as her great-great grandfather who fought in World War I. The worn-out metal buttons that Ellie holds are all that's left of a soldier who wore them in the heat of battle. Perturbed by Ellie's one-upmanship, Grace gives away some of her own buttons at lunchtime, and Ellie reluctantly does the same...the buttons that aren't heirlooms, of course. No one expects what the great button giveaway will lead to.
A scientific thinker, Grace observes with interest as the buttons rapidly spread among the student body. Other kids at Avery Elementary School bring in their own unusual buttons, showing off and trading them like at a swap meet. Grace has theories about the nature and potential duration of the fad, but there's one big problem: Ellie. She and Grace lock horns when Ellie insists she have priority in trades for the most desirable buttons. Grace typically yields to Ellie's strong personality, but she started this craze, not Ellie, and she feels just as entitled to trade for the best buttons. Grace has wondered recently if Ellie is a true friend or just likes being around girls she can dominate, and the question gains relevance as a "button war" emerges between them. Grace wishes she could pull the plug on this fad, but Ellie is in command now. Then Grace learns that their other friend, Hank Powell, has extensively researched buttons the past few days. He can discern valuable from common ones, and offers to help Grace assess the hundreds of thousands of buttons she stashed at home. It turns out she likes letting Hank sift through her collection and take what he wants; he's so excited by the sheer variety of buttons! As the war with Ellie intensifies, Hank withdraws, uncomfortable at being caught in the middle, but Grace doesn't want to let Ellie win the way she always does. Are exotic buttons worth jeopardizing her friendship with Ellie and Hank, or can Grace find a solution that allows them to reconcile and move beyond the fad?
The Friendship War was the last Andrew Clements book published before he passed away in November 2019. His thirty-five years as a children's author produced beloved works including Frindle, Lunch Money, The Janitor's Boy, The Jacket, and the five-part Benjamin Pratt & the Keepers of the School series, a special favorite of mine. The Friendship War features subtle, nuanced relationships among Grace and her classmates; their vocabulary might be too sophisticated to believe, and in my opinion Grace ultimately accepts too much blame for her part in the war with Ellie, but perhaps the latter is how real relationships are. A single dramatic episode doesn't transform the natural roles that friends take in relation to each other. I appreciate Grace's "discovery" of Hank, how she notices during her conflict with Ellie that he's a more enjoyable friend than she realized. Grace sees it like a chemistry experiment. "When elements combine, they don't actually change, but they sometimes link up and form a new compound, the way hydrogen and oxygen join to make water. That's how this feels. And if I had to describe this new compound? It's 99 percent fun and 1 percent sweet." Who knows how Grace and Hank's relationship will evolve in sixth grade and beyond? I'd rate The Friendship War two and a half stars; it's a pretty good novel that had me pondering the nature of friendship. We'll miss your storytelling, Mr. Clements.
The summer before sixth grade, Grace Hamlin travels alone to visit her grandfather in Massachusetts. He recently purchased an old building and plans on turning it into a little mall; Gramma died a while back, and he needs a project to distract him from the sadness. Grace approves, but what really gets her attention about the building are the old boxes stuffed with buttons from clothing. As something of a hoarder, she asks Grampa to ship the buttons home to her, and with a merry twinkle in his eye he agrees. Grace's family will be surprised when twenty-seven boxes of buttons show up at their door! She'll have to think quick of a place to store them.
Grace misses Grampa when she goes home to Illinois, but she's excited for the upcoming school year. Her best friend Ellie Emerson is a popular girl who always takes charge; she's fun, pretty, and occasionally generous, so Grace doesn't mind terribly that she bosses her around. When an opportunity arises for Grace to share her new button collection at school, kids are impressed: she has plastic and metal buttons, ones with bright colors and intricate designs, buttons made from semiprecious stones or formed into novel shapes. These are just the small sampling Grace brings to school; she has hundreds of thousands more at home in the boxes Grampa sent. Grace enjoys the attention, but Ellie isn't happy that someone is in her spotlight. She organizes and brings in her own collection of buttons, curated to tell the Emerson family story as far back as her great-great grandfather who fought in World War I. The worn-out metal buttons that Ellie holds are all that's left of a soldier who wore them in the heat of battle. Perturbed by Ellie's one-upmanship, Grace gives away some of her own buttons at lunchtime, and Ellie reluctantly does the same...the buttons that aren't heirlooms, of course. No one expects what the great button giveaway will lead to.
A scientific thinker, Grace observes with interest as the buttons rapidly spread among the student body. Other kids at Avery Elementary School bring in their own unusual buttons, showing off and trading them like at a swap meet. Grace has theories about the nature and potential duration of the fad, but there's one big problem: Ellie. She and Grace lock horns when Ellie insists she have priority in trades for the most desirable buttons. Grace typically yields to Ellie's strong personality, but she started this craze, not Ellie, and she feels just as entitled to trade for the best buttons. Grace has wondered recently if Ellie is a true friend or just likes being around girls she can dominate, and the question gains relevance as a "button war" emerges between them. Grace wishes she could pull the plug on this fad, but Ellie is in command now. Then Grace learns that their other friend, Hank Powell, has extensively researched buttons the past few days. He can discern valuable from common ones, and offers to help Grace assess the hundreds of thousands of buttons she stashed at home. It turns out she likes letting Hank sift through her collection and take what he wants; he's so excited by the sheer variety of buttons! As the war with Ellie intensifies, Hank withdraws, uncomfortable at being caught in the middle, but Grace doesn't want to let Ellie win the way she always does. Are exotic buttons worth jeopardizing her friendship with Ellie and Hank, or can Grace find a solution that allows them to reconcile and move beyond the fad?
The Friendship War was the last Andrew Clements book published before he passed away in November 2019. His thirty-five years as a children's author produced beloved works including Frindle, Lunch Money, The Janitor's Boy, The Jacket, and the five-part Benjamin Pratt & the Keepers of the School series, a special favorite of mine. The Friendship War features subtle, nuanced relationships among Grace and her classmates; their vocabulary might be too sophisticated to believe, and in my opinion Grace ultimately accepts too much blame for her part in the war with Ellie, but perhaps the latter is how real relationships are. A single dramatic episode doesn't transform the natural roles that friends take in relation to each other. I appreciate Grace's "discovery" of Hank, how she notices during her conflict with Ellie that he's a more enjoyable friend than she realized. Grace sees it like a chemistry experiment. "When elements combine, they don't actually change, but they sometimes link up and form a new compound, the way hydrogen and oxygen join to make water. That's how this feels. And if I had to describe this new compound? It's 99 percent fun and 1 percent sweet." Who knows how Grace and Hank's relationship will evolve in sixth grade and beyond? I'd rate The Friendship War two and a half stars; it's a pretty good novel that had me pondering the nature of friendship. We'll miss your storytelling, Mr. Clements.
January 12, 2021
This book is telling the story of two girls, Grace and Ellie, fighting because of the button fad in school. The author, Andrew Clements, wrote this book from Grace's perspective. Ellie is used to everything being her way, so when Grace got the button Ellie wanted, Ellie decided that's the end of their friendship. How the book ended kind of surprised me since I thought the story is going to end differently. Overall, this book is an interesting realistic fiction book.
February 11, 2019
The Friendship War boosts a nonsensical plot coupled with Clements signature style making this a warm, fluffy middle grade read.
March 26, 2019
A few years ago I read 17 books by Andrew Clements. All were good reads, many were excellent reads. This book is the 18th book by Clements that I have given a read, and it is one of the best! Once I got reading this book, I could not put it down. It is an excellent story about friendship, about fads, and about forgiveness. Andrew Clements writes amazing Middle grade fiction. His stories are fun, entertaining and great for starting discussions. I have yet to read a book by Clements I have not thoroughly enjoyed, or that I did not look forward to rereading with my children.
In this story Grace and Ellie have been best friends since second grade. And Grace has always felt a little like Ellie’s side kick. But at the beginning of the sixth-grade things change. Grace realizes that things with Ellie are not fair. And Ellie shows off a lot, and she tries to control things, and often does. Both with Grace and to a large extent with all the girls in their grade. But this school year Grace has started a new fad. The fad is buttons. It started over the summer while she was visiting her grandfather. They find 30 cases of old buttons in the factory her Grandfather purchased, and Grace has asked for them all. Once they become popular at school Grace has a power she has never had before. And Because of the conflict with Ellie she is determined to go to war and to win.
But soon things start going from bad to worse. Grace is beginning to regret her actions but does not see a clear way out of the path they are on. Based on some advice from her older brother on supply and demand. She believes is she floods the button market maybe buttons will become the last old thing, like rainbow looms, fidget spinners, silly bandz and more. But Sometimes the best laid plans have very unexpected consequences. Can Grace restore her friendship with Ellie? Can she keep growing her new friendship with Hank? Can the friendship war come to an end without someone being destroyed?
This is a great realistic fiction novel. The events could take place at the school around the corner, or down the block, or in the next subdivision over. The story is deeper than some by Clements. It would be a great book to read in class or with a group of kids and have some discussions on. It is another excellent read from Clements and I give it a solid 5/5 stars!
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by Andrew Clements.
In this story Grace and Ellie have been best friends since second grade. And Grace has always felt a little like Ellie’s side kick. But at the beginning of the sixth-grade things change. Grace realizes that things with Ellie are not fair. And Ellie shows off a lot, and she tries to control things, and often does. Both with Grace and to a large extent with all the girls in their grade. But this school year Grace has started a new fad. The fad is buttons. It started over the summer while she was visiting her grandfather. They find 30 cases of old buttons in the factory her Grandfather purchased, and Grace has asked for them all. Once they become popular at school Grace has a power she has never had before. And Because of the conflict with Ellie she is determined to go to war and to win.
But soon things start going from bad to worse. Grace is beginning to regret her actions but does not see a clear way out of the path they are on. Based on some advice from her older brother on supply and demand. She believes is she floods the button market maybe buttons will become the last old thing, like rainbow looms, fidget spinners, silly bandz and more. But Sometimes the best laid plans have very unexpected consequences. Can Grace restore her friendship with Ellie? Can she keep growing her new friendship with Hank? Can the friendship war come to an end without someone being destroyed?
This is a great realistic fiction novel. The events could take place at the school around the corner, or down the block, or in the next subdivision over. The story is deeper than some by Clements. It would be a great book to read in class or with a group of kids and have some discussions on. It is another excellent read from Clements and I give it a solid 5/5 stars!
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by Andrew Clements.
December 29, 2019
The Friendship War by Andrew Clements, 168 pages, Random House, 2019, $17.
Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G; Violence G
BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
Sixth grader, Grace has just happened upon a windfall of buttons. Really cool buttons. When she inadvertently starts a fad at her school with buttons, she could be the queen bee. Unfortunately, it would mean dethroning her best friend Ellie in the process, but maybe Ellie deserve to be dethroned. After all, Grace has always been Ellie’s sidekick.
Clements delivers on another great story. Through the button fad and Grace’s scientific mind, we get to observe as she does, what makes something a fad, perhaps how to stop it, and what it means to be a friend. The book also briefly addresses loss of a loved one and hope, intertwining them into a great read. Anyone who has ever been caught up in a fad (Pokemon cards anyone?) or has had friendship troubles can relate. Nice book on taking the higher ground to cope.
Michelle in the Middle, Teacher
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2019...
Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G; Violence G
BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
Sixth grader, Grace has just happened upon a windfall of buttons. Really cool buttons. When she inadvertently starts a fad at her school with buttons, she could be the queen bee. Unfortunately, it would mean dethroning her best friend Ellie in the process, but maybe Ellie deserve to be dethroned. After all, Grace has always been Ellie’s sidekick.
Clements delivers on another great story. Through the button fad and Grace’s scientific mind, we get to observe as she does, what makes something a fad, perhaps how to stop it, and what it means to be a friend. The book also briefly addresses loss of a loved one and hope, intertwining them into a great read. Anyone who has ever been caught up in a fad (Pokemon cards anyone?) or has had friendship troubles can relate. Nice book on taking the higher ground to cope.
Michelle in the Middle, Teacher
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2019...
January 5, 2019
Another masterfully done school story about realistic kids and possibilities by Andrew Clements.
We’ve all seen fads come and go, and sometimes even come back again! But what is the math and science behind the fad? Our main character, Grace, tries to find an answer to this when her classmates go crazy for.... buttons! Trading, collecting and creating things out of buttons goes so out of control even the principal has to ban them from school. But what happens when an innocent-seeming fad hurts a friendship?
We’ve all seen fads come and go, and sometimes even come back again! But what is the math and science behind the fad? Our main character, Grace, tries to find an answer to this when her classmates go crazy for.... buttons! Trading, collecting and creating things out of buttons goes so out of control even the principal has to ban them from school. But what happens when an innocent-seeming fad hurts a friendship?
January 15, 2019
Science-minded Grace is a collector of interesting objects, so when she asks her grandfather if she can have the thousands of old buttons she finds in the old building he just purchased, he doesn't hesitate to hand them over. When Grace brings a few of the buttons to school, however, she is unprepared for the sudden enthusiasm for buttons shown by not just her best friend, Ellie, but also her entire class! As Grace and Ellie become consumed with the excitement of crafting, playing, and trading with buttons of all varieties, they also begin to realize the problems in their friendship, namely that Ellie shows off a lot and Grace resents her for it. Before long, the button frenzy becomes less about the buttons and more about trying to one-up and get back at each other. Grace wants to end the button fad once and for all and get things back to normal, but shutting it down proves to be a lot more difficult than putting it into motion in the first place.
This school story does a great job of describing the experience of getting caught up in a fad at school. Clements gets all the details just right, including the way fads sometimes grow and change overnight, and even the reactions of teachers and administrators when a fad begins to consume too much of the students' attention. He also uses the button fad very effectively as a vehicle both for Grace and Ellie to confront the strain in their friendship, and for Grace to become better friends with another classmate named Hank, who shares her scientific interests.
The flaw in this book, though, is how much exposition there is at the start. The strong story at the heart of this book is very slow to get going. The book opens with Grace arriving for a visit with her grandfather, leading the reader to believe that this visit and this relationship will be the focus of the novel. Just as the reader begins to settle into this story, however, Grace is suddenly heading right back home, with the buttons following by mail, and it's clear that this has all just been backstory leading up to the real story the author wants to tell. Only a few of the details revealed in these early pages are even remotely relevant to the rest of the book, and it takes a while to refocus after the abrupt shift in the narrative. I also found it a little unnecessary that Grace occasionally worries about whether Hank thinks she is cute. Not every middle grade novel needs to have a dating-related subplot, even a subtle one.
The Friendship War has some positive wisdom to impart about the importance of honesty and taking ownership of one's mistakes, and about placing a greater value on people than on objects, which I really appreciated. There is also a surprising amount of information about the history of the materials used to make buttons, which becomes interesting within the context of this story. While this isn't Clements's best book, it will satisfy most readers who enjoy his realistic school stories, especially those who see some of their own experiences mirrored by the story. (Thanks to Random House Children's and NetGalley for the digital review copy!)
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
This school story does a great job of describing the experience of getting caught up in a fad at school. Clements gets all the details just right, including the way fads sometimes grow and change overnight, and even the reactions of teachers and administrators when a fad begins to consume too much of the students' attention. He also uses the button fad very effectively as a vehicle both for Grace and Ellie to confront the strain in their friendship, and for Grace to become better friends with another classmate named Hank, who shares her scientific interests.
The flaw in this book, though, is how much exposition there is at the start. The strong story at the heart of this book is very slow to get going. The book opens with Grace arriving for a visit with her grandfather, leading the reader to believe that this visit and this relationship will be the focus of the novel. Just as the reader begins to settle into this story, however, Grace is suddenly heading right back home, with the buttons following by mail, and it's clear that this has all just been backstory leading up to the real story the author wants to tell. Only a few of the details revealed in these early pages are even remotely relevant to the rest of the book, and it takes a while to refocus after the abrupt shift in the narrative. I also found it a little unnecessary that Grace occasionally worries about whether Hank thinks she is cute. Not every middle grade novel needs to have a dating-related subplot, even a subtle one.
The Friendship War has some positive wisdom to impart about the importance of honesty and taking ownership of one's mistakes, and about placing a greater value on people than on objects, which I really appreciated. There is also a surprising amount of information about the history of the materials used to make buttons, which becomes interesting within the context of this story. While this isn't Clements's best book, it will satisfy most readers who enjoy his realistic school stories, especially those who see some of their own experiences mirrored by the story. (Thanks to Random House Children's and NetGalley for the digital review copy!)
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
November 11, 2018
Andrew Clements has an amazing ability to strike a chord with readers. His characters are believable yet fallible, honest yet make mistakes. Grace and Ellie have been best friends since second grade. Yet Grace has always let Ellie take the lead and be in charge. For some reason, Grace decides that she wants more when both she and Ellie return to school after summer break. Grace starts telling Ellie about her trip to visit her Grandpa and all the cool buttons she found, but Ellie interrupts and starts talking about her trip to Europe. And so begins the button war. As the story progresses and students become obsessed with the latest fad, Grace comes to realize her own part in the craze and tries to put a stop to it, mostly to get back at Ellie. Things to very awry and Grace learns some important facts about friendship. Many readers will identify with Grace and with the obsessions of middle graders who latch onto the latest fad. I especially liked that grandpa talked about missing Grace's grandma. Many children will experience the loss of a grandparent. I like that it was included in the story.
May 31, 2019
I think that in this absolutely amazing novel by Andrew Clements(my favorite author) it contains a life lesson along with an easy connection for almost any reader. When Ellie and Grace have friends for longer than they can even remember, something brings that friendship to a quick break. Buttons. When things got out of control they started to think about only buttons and not what really mattered, there friendship. When in the end Ellie notices how hard it is to not be with Grace she offers to help Grace with the mess she got into. Grace will forgive her and find something to do with her grandpa’s old buttons! The overall theme of this story is forgiveness. Any kid can relate to this story and might even get some good advice if they are in a “Friendship War”. Also many adults would enjoy this read too since it would bring them back to their years as a middle school student. I LOVED this book and would recommend it to anyone and everyone!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 9, 2019
I absolutely LOVE this story! Grace and Ellie have been best friends forever, but when Grace shares her story about finding a bunch of buttons in her grandpa’s old mill, Ellie has to one-up her. This makes Grace realize she is always living in Ellie’s shadows and she is sort of tired of it. I would be too!
The story of their friendship is a cute one, but what I really love about this book is just Grace! She is a thinker! She is always dreaming up questions about her world and coming up with theories. When the school becomes obsessed with trading buttons she has to think up a way to stop a school fad, and quick!
Just an adorable middle grade book! Highly recommend!
Thank you to Random House Children’s and NetGalley for this fun story, it made my day! My opinions are my own.
This will feature on my blog Thursday January 10, 2019.
www.colecampfireblog.com
LanaLCole@yahoo.com
The story of their friendship is a cute one, but what I really love about this book is just Grace! She is a thinker! She is always dreaming up questions about her world and coming up with theories. When the school becomes obsessed with trading buttons she has to think up a way to stop a school fad, and quick!
Just an adorable middle grade book! Highly recommend!
Thank you to Random House Children’s and NetGalley for this fun story, it made my day! My opinions are my own.
This will feature on my blog Thursday January 10, 2019.
www.colecampfireblog.com
LanaLCole@yahoo.com
November 20, 2018
[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
4.5 stars. Terrific! Another great school story from Andrew Clements (Frindle, No Talking, Loser's Club). Clements really understands kids and schools and fads. There's even a great author's note in this about where the idea for the book came from.
Anyone who works in a school or who remembers a fad from their childhood will find the button fad here familiar. I loved the whole journey. Grace is a great character, too, more scientifically minded than other kids might be mid-fad, but that made this especially fun to read. She learns a lot in the story - about buttons, about economics, about friendship and about herself. Highly recommend!
4.5 stars. Terrific! Another great school story from Andrew Clements (Frindle, No Talking, Loser's Club). Clements really understands kids and schools and fads. There's even a great author's note in this about where the idea for the book came from.
Anyone who works in a school or who remembers a fad from their childhood will find the button fad here familiar. I loved the whole journey. Grace is a great character, too, more scientifically minded than other kids might be mid-fad, but that made this especially fun to read. She learns a lot in the story - about buttons, about economics, about friendship and about herself. Highly recommend!
Read
April 14, 2022I read this book in two sittings, partly because I had time and partly because I wanted to know how the story continued. As the title promises, this is a story about friendship, arguments, and a whole lot of buttons. First of all, isn’t the idea of a button fad so creative? I loved that!
It took a little bit to really connect with the main characters. When I got into it, though, I loved it. The ending was a little quick for me, especially in regard to the characters. (But I did love the characters, especially Hank!)
This is a story about how quickly a fad can start and about how kindness is always worth it.
It took a little bit to really connect with the main characters. When I got into it, though, I loved it. The ending was a little quick for me, especially in regard to the characters. (But I did love the characters, especially Hank!)
This is a story about how quickly a fad can start and about how kindness is always worth it.
April 3, 2022
This would make a great choice for a literature circle. There is so much to discuss: friendship, cliques, popularity, fads. I love the real life applications to math and science. Clements experience as a teacher shined through. He really got this one right!
February 23, 2021
pretty good it was a really fast read. 3.5 stars!
March 11, 2020
I didn't know what to expect when I started this book, but I know this author is a rather popular one in our store. I think I had tried a book by him before and I wasn't taken by it, but this book charmed me. I really enjoyed it and can see why his books are so popular.
The adults aren't as present in this book as say Jake Burt's books, but they aren't completely absent and they do serve important appropriate adult rolls, so that was a positive. The kids were realistic, and I really liked the scientific bent of the MC and her male friend. (sorry, I don't recall the names, I devoured this book in one sitting, so don't remember the specifics. Completely me and not the book.)
The collecting thing was a tad on the hoarder-ish side, but not over the top. The buttons were cool and I liked the idea they had at the end and that the kids worked together to make it happen. They had some adult help when necessary, but they were the ones doing it. I liked that, very empowering.
This was a fun book, with gentle issues of friendship and being honest present but not hitting the reader over the head. Excellent choice for a young/middle reader. 4.5 stars, rounded down to 4 because while I really liked it, it's not one of my absolute favorites. Definitely one I will be recommending to our customers and that I recommend now. Quick, fun read.
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's/Random House Books for Young Readers for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.
The adults aren't as present in this book as say Jake Burt's books, but they aren't completely absent and they do serve important appropriate adult rolls, so that was a positive. The kids were realistic, and I really liked the scientific bent of the MC and her male friend. (sorry, I don't recall the names, I devoured this book in one sitting, so don't remember the specifics. Completely me and not the book.)
The collecting thing was a tad on the hoarder-ish side, but not over the top. The buttons were cool and I liked the idea they had at the end and that the kids worked together to make it happen. They had some adult help when necessary, but they were the ones doing it. I liked that, very empowering.
This was a fun book, with gentle issues of friendship and being honest present but not hitting the reader over the head. Excellent choice for a young/middle reader. 4.5 stars, rounded down to 4 because while I really liked it, it's not one of my absolute favorites. Definitely one I will be recommending to our customers and that I recommend now. Quick, fun read.
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's/Random House Books for Young Readers for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.
June 2, 2021
I pre-read The Friendship War (Lexile 770L; GR Level U) in anticipation of leading an upper elementary boys book club through it over the summer. Andrew Clements (Frindle, etc.) is such a gem of an author. He writes so well about the topics that kids of an upper elementary and middle school age care about, but he uses such a wonderful innocence in doing so that I always know these books will be a sentimental and appropriate home run for my son.
This book has 2 girls and a boy as main characters and follows what happens as friendships shift and change through a random button fad that blows through the middle school. Friendship is explored throughout the story - what it means, what it doesn't, and what kinds of roles we sometimes learn to play within friendship relationships. Lots to explore with the boys' book club this summer, not to mention I can't wait to get out all my buttons for them as they will no doubt be interested in buttons, at least for a few days, after this book!
This book has 2 girls and a boy as main characters and follows what happens as friendships shift and change through a random button fad that blows through the middle school. Friendship is explored throughout the story - what it means, what it doesn't, and what kinds of roles we sometimes learn to play within friendship relationships. Lots to explore with the boys' book club this summer, not to mention I can't wait to get out all my buttons for them as they will no doubt be interested in buttons, at least for a few days, after this book!
August 22, 2022
This is a fantastic book all the way around! Good lessons about friendship, great vocabulary to learn and a bonus in getting kids interested in collecting buttons!
January 9, 2019
Fads come and go, but do friendships? Sixth grader Grace is about to explore that very question when she accidently starts a button fad and suddenly takes the spotlight away from her always-the-center-of-attention-BFF, Ellie. Andrew Clements’ The Friendship War is an amusing and heartfelt look at friendship, growing up, and the culture of fads. Younger middle-grade readers will find Grace and her predicament relatable and comforting. Clements’ button fad creation is clever and surprisingly fascinating (I never knew buttons were so cool!). However, I did find the lack of diversity (just look at the cover) very disappointing.
June 20, 2021
One of several books by Andrew Clements that I have enjoyed. I discovered that this was his last book, as he died in late 2019. His background knowledge of middle school kids is always evident, but perhaps this became too common of a setting for Clements. I don't love the book's title. There's much more to the book than the "war" and I wouldn't even call it a war. I gained some interesting facts about buttons as I read.
March 30, 2019
I'm looking at these 5-star reviews and wonder what I missed. I couldn't make it past disc 3. Buttons. All about buttons. A slow start and I can't imagine any of my students being captivated by buttons.
I've loved some of Clements books, they define "school story", but this one was wide of the mark.
I've loved some of Clements books, they define "school story", but this one was wide of the mark.
May 5, 2019
An insightful look at the pitfalls in middle-grade friendship. While Grace is furious with Ellie, her ex-best friend, she also realizes when she herself is being mean. Hank, a new friend and someone outside the relationship, is kind about pointing out how some of the schemes could backfire without being a judgmental jerk. I really appreciated the thoughtful resolution.
March 3, 2020
I loved this one! Was not sure how it was going to be when I first listened to it, but loved it. I have never read any of the books by this author. I picked this up because it looked interesting which it was. I loved the characters and the plot in the story. There was one small part I did not like. A surprising, but nice ending. Another great listening experience.
July 9, 2021
Cute, fun, quick read that was everything you’d expect from an Andrew Clements! I actually really enjoyed all the button trivia.
I felt like there was a little something missing from the Grace-Ellie reconciliation, and I didn’t care for the Descartes stuff, but only one star’s worth of knock-down.
I felt like there was a little something missing from the Grace-Ellie reconciliation, and I didn’t care for the Descartes stuff, but only one star’s worth of knock-down.
July 27, 2024
I really liked this book. I also really enjoy Clement’s writing. It’s really funny, engaging, creative, and realistic, which I like a lot in books. Another great one by him. I would definitely recommend any of his books to anyone! So funny, and now I may have the button fever:)
November 22, 2018
Another winner from Andrew Clements--this one about fads and friends and being honest with yourself, with a little bit of economics thrown in. And buttons. Lots of buttons.
November 24, 2018
A button craze that starts a fight between friends. A good school and friendship story. From advance reader copy.
June 24, 2019
cute story about trends/ popularity and how fleeting it can be. Gr 4+
May 26, 2021
Andrew Clements does it again: A book about fads in middle school, and friendship, and buttons!
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