Bridget Hodder

It's not perfect, but it comes pretty darn close.

I'm generally not too fond of retellings, but I am glad to have taken a chance on this little gem.

I loved the twist. Or rather, it showed the fairytale in the new quite disturbing light. My thoughts, in no particular order :
- The whole thing must have been thoroughly traumatic for many persons, human and not. Nevermind the intentions.
- Magic in the hands of a lunatic is terrifying indeed.
- Be careful what you wish for (and where, and preferably not out loud - you never know who/what might be listening).
- NEVER EVER skip the fine print and be VERY thorough in your understanding.
- Gods are to be feared, though perhaps not for the normal reasons.

RECOMMENDED… (más)

Yes, please, to more magic for short chapter books. Yes, please, to a reimagining of Magic Treehouse with Brown kids. Yes, please, to families with blended religions -- in this case Muslim and Sepharidic Jews. Yes, please, to solid and interesting historical fiction that opens up our eyes to tolerant societies of the past. Yes, please, to thoughtful responses to bullying and to empowering bystanders. Yes, please, to authors writing about their heritage and collaborating to enrich a story. Yes, please, to language representation -- Ladino, Hebrew, Arabic. Yes, please, to a wider representation of history -- in this case, the rich heritage of North Africa and the Spain. Yes, yes, yes, and thank you. I'm so glad this book exists.… (más)

Cousins, Ava and Nadeem are being ridiculed by their 5th grade classmate for being Jewish and Muslim. As they are wondering what to do about the issue, their Granny Buena shows them a special button passed down from their ancestors who helped to save Prince Abdur Rahmann. Granny Buena begins to tell them the story of Ester, who aided Prince Abdur Rahmann in escaping ancient Morocco and finding his way to Spain to create a safe haven for Muslims, Jews and Christians. However, before Granny Buena can finish the story, Ava and Nadeem find out firsthand just how Prince Abdur Rahmann made his escape.

The Button Box is a middle grade historical adventure that is a lot of fun and incorporates the heritage of Muslim and Jewish culture. Ava and Nadeem face a common problem that Muslim and Jewish kids often face and come up with a very creative way to solve it once they experience life during Prince Abdur Rahmann's time. I loved the button and the cousin's cat, Sheba as time travel mechanisms and how Ava and Nadeem were able to integrate into ancient Morocco and learn about their history as well as their cultures through experiences in the past. Prince Abdul Rahmann was in fact a real person who helped to usher in the Golden Age for Muslims, Jews and Christians in Spain and I was glad to learn of his story. Ava and Nadeem learn valuable lessons from their journey to the past and are able to apply them to their present day in useful ways once they return. The Button Box is a fast-paced magical story tying together the shared Muslim and Jewish heritage and history.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.… (más)

This is a fun, short adventure for the lower end of the middle grade range, which packs adventure, addresses bullying and even hits upon history.

After being bullied for their religions, Ava, a Jew, and her cousin Nadeem, a Muslim, decide to ask Granny for advice. When she pulls out a button box and explains that the buttons inside have been collected for hundreds and hundreds of years, that's already amazing. But when they hear one hum, their curiosity shoots through the roof. When Granny lays down for a nap, they open the box and are soon zipped back into time.

The first pages dive right into the first issue, meeting Ava and Nadeem as they hesitate to tell their Granny what happened at school. Both come across as every day kids, and the Granny is one with quirks to love. While I did, at first, fear this might be a bit cliche on the bullying message, it quickly steers into a very unique and exciting direction. The tension and plot build steadily and smoothly, allowing the reader to sink into Ava and Nadeem in modern times before they are whisked away to the past. This makes sure there's a familiarity, which then keeps readers grounded and makes the past more natural.

This was an interesting way to glimpse back into history and an event, which most readers have probably never heard about. It takes a quick peek at Prince Abdur Rahman during a short section of his flight from the attempt to erase his entire family/bloodline, and that before he lands in Spain. Only a quick summary is given as to what is going on, and yet, it's enough to make the historic figure take root in readers' minds. Of course, the surrounding scenes and world do a great job at displaying how life might have been at that time, and it did this in a way, which made the historic characters come across as naturally as the modern ones. For those, who want a little more depth on the historic figure, there is a slightly more in-depth look at the end of the book.

The last purpose of this read surrounds the two religions: Muslim and Jews. Especially in modern times, it isn't unheard of to have mixed families, and this tale takes a look at that. It works well with the historical angle, too, since Abdur Rahman is known for supporting religious tolerance during his rule in Spain. The two authors have each put a section at the end of the book, which gives different glimpses into the two religions and offers some explanations as well as a little added history. It does emphasis that the two religions worship the same god...however, parents/guardians/caretakers might want to read through this themselves first, since it does offer an over-simplified view and explanation on what is actually a much more complex topic.

I definitely enjoyed how this tale flows and found it very well done, especially in how it presented so many themes in such an entertaining (and never preachy) manner. I received an ARC and found this well done… (más)