Avi is one of the most celebrated authors writing for children today, having received two Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards, a Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, a Christopher Award, a Newbery Medal, and two Newbery Honors. He lives in Colorado.
Reminiscent of Slaughterhouse-Five and Lord of the Flies, Avi's The Button War is an important and honest book that crowns no heroes. Instead, it shines a light on how easily we believe what we want to believe, confusing dictators for leaders and ignoring our own best selves in the process. If children are to understand the world's problems, they need to face them--and their own motives--with clear eyes and open minds. The Button War will help them do that. But it is a cautionary tale that will surely provoke introspection in readers of all ages and help us see how to evolve beyond our primitive thirst for power and glory. --Lauren E. Wolk, author of Wolf Hollow, a Newbery Honor Book, and Beyond the Bright Sea