THE FRIENDSHIP WAR

Bailey Carr narrates this charming school story about the social repercussions of fads. When visiting her grandfather at an old factory building he recently purchased, Grace finds boxes filled with thousands of buttons, which he happily lets her take. Grace brings some to school for show and tell and inadvertently starts a schoolwide trend. Though her classmates are interested in buttons for purely aesthetic reasons, Grace, a scientist, focuses on the history of button production and on the sociological ramifications of the button trend. Carr voices Grace's varied mindsets effectively. When Grace is speaking about science, Carr's enthusiasm signals the character's passion for her subject. As she reflects on the turmoil in her social life, she sounds like a typical dramatic middle schooler. S.P. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2019]