Publishers Weekly
Ylvisaker sets her agreeable story of the summer of 1929, when life begins to change for ungainly 12-year-old Tugs Button, in the small town of Goodhue, Iowa. Born into a downtrodden family that "considered victory, even for one's affiliated party in national politics, showing off," good-natured, plainspoken Tugs is accustomed to being called names like "rapscallion" and "know-it-all." But when wealthy Aggie Millhouse asks to run the three-legged race with her at the Independence Day picnic and they win, Tugs begins to question whether she might be able to break out of the Buttons' tradition of bad luck. After she also wins the patriotic essay contest and a Kodak camera, she declares, "I'm going to go on being lucky," to the horrified Button clan. As Ylvisaker builds an increasingly suspenseful tale revolving around a dapper, silver-tongued newcomer with plans for starting a newspaper with citizens' money (think The Music Man), she presents a multitude of somewhat stereotypical characters who can be hard to keep track of, but succeeds in her portrayal of a cozy, close-knit community. Ages 8–12. (Apr.)
From the Publisher
The tale has a whiff of nostalgia (the Brownie box camera, “dagnabit”), but the good old days are balanced by the strongly realized, immediate characters and the delicacy and originality of the writing
—Horn Book
An increasingly suspenseful tale revolving around a dapper, silver-tongued newcomer with plans for starting a newspaper with citizens' money (think The Music Man).
—Publisher's Weekly
The main message here is uncomplicated, but important—with a little faith in ourselves and a willingness to take some risks, anything is possible
—Kirkus Reveiws
Ylvisaker’s lively writing style and appealing characters will charm readers.
—Booklist
Subtle humor, a clever narrative style, and an endearing heroine. Details of photography of the time period add interest, and readers who enjoy a good story with only the mildest of sinister overtones will find this one appealing.
—School Library Journal
Tugs is nothing but good luck for young readers, and they’ll appreciate her role in this perceptive exploration of identity.
—Bulletin of the Center of Children's Books
A heartwarming story about a sensitive girl who exhibits innovation, ingenuity, and creativity.
—Library Media Connection
Combines mystery with unusual characters, including even a well known town cat.
—Chicago Tribune
Ylvisaker’s prose reads like poetry as she creates beautiful images that never feel contrived or self-conscious.
—Star Tribune
Books like THE LUCK OF THE BUTTONS by Anne Ylvisaker are some of the best in the biz. A svelte little novel that's chock full of plum, pluck, and vinegar, Ylvisaker gives us a heroine you can believe in but never pity....Hand this one over to the kid that wants a good story with humor and spice and a family that's practically cursed itself. It'll stick in your brain long after you've read it, this one, and you'll be glad that it's in there.
—A Fuse 8 Production (SLJ blog)
School Library Journal - Audio
Gr 4–6—Tugs Button's family never wins anything. A Button never won the three-legged race, a raffle, or the spelling bee. Tugs wonders about her family's tepid luck when the most popular girl in the neighborhood, Aggie Millhouse, invites her to a birthday party. Aggie's kindness to Tugs starts a series of events that give the 12-year-old the courage to be more than just another Button. With wit and spunk, she decides to investigate a charming stranger who has come to their town promising "progress" and collecting lots of money. Tugs' persistence and good luck eventually help her uncover a plot that threatens her whole town. Anne Yivisaker's feel-good story (Candlewick, 2011), set in 1929 Iowa, is full of interesting, folksy characters. She has created a myriad of aunts and uncles, neighbors, and friends who seem as familiar as pictures in an old photo album. Tugs' indomitable spirit comes alive in Laura Hamilton's energetic, lilting Midwestern accent. The quaint, old-fashioned sayings in Tugs' dialogue are perfectly executed by Hamilton. She also gives each character a unique personality and recreates their interactions with warmth and humor. Lighthearted ragtime piano music at the beginning and end of the recording helps set the story's tone.—Donna Cardon, Provo City Library, UT
JULY 2011 - AudioFile
Tugs Button is one observant and determined 12-year-old. When the summer of 1929 takes a new turn with the arrival of a stranger in Goodhue, Iowa, it’s Tugs who persists in discovering what Mr. Moore is all about. As she collects information, she’s aided by loyal cousin Ned and surprisingly unsnobbish Aggie Milhouse. Laura Hamilton’s narration makes the quirky Button family and the citizens of Goodhue shine. There are many Button relations, and each has a distinctive voice; notable are perky, high-pitched Granny, who wonders how to “drive one of these dang things [a car],” and bossy, shrill Aunt Mina. As Tugs, Hamilton blurts out her ideas and slows or abruptly stops as Tugs thinks about what she’s said. As the slick Mr. Moore, Hamilton further enlivens his multiple skills and schemes. A.R. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
Set in Iowa in 1929, this offbeat tale features plucky, twelve-year-old Tugs Button, who has a meaningful relationship with pie. The Button clan bakes and serves it up whenever there is trouble in the ranks, from accidents to crop failures to illnesses to spousal friction. Poor Tugs has eaten a lot of pie in her life. It seems the Buttons just don't have any luck. And judging by her buck teeth and her clumsiness, social and otherwise, Tugs is most definitely a Button. Not surprisingly, everyone—not least of all Tugs herself—is fit to be tied when she wins two blue ribbons and a Brownie camera at the town's Independence Day celebration. And they are further stunned by the mystery she solves with her camera, some good instincts and a little luck. A bit slow-going at first, but if readers persevere, they will warm up to Tugs and enjoy getting to know the people in her circle, including her unlikely, primly-dressed friend Aggie Millhouse, her Granddaddy Ike who gambles his false teeth away and back again, and twins Elmira and Eldora, photograph fanatics and owners of Leopold, a cat as big as a raccoon, who frequents the local library. The main message here is uncomplicated, but important—with a little faith in ourselves and a willingness to take some risks, anything is possible, even a lucky Button. (Historical fiction. 9-12)
